What was the high spot of this fight?
Probably midway through the third round, when McDonald exploded in for a successful takedown but Cariaso countered with a lightning-quick omoplata that had McDonald tied up and confused for a while. It was the quickest I've ever seen anyone latch on an omoplata in a situation like that.
Where do these guys go from here?
McDonald's narrow victory and his lack of aggression might have slowed down his hype train a bit. He's still one of the brightest bantamweight prospects on the roster though, and his next fight will be higher up the 135 ladder. A bout between McDonald and Ivan Menjivar would be pretty good.
Cariaso was originally slated to face Kid Yamamoto before an injury sidelined him and McDonald stepped in. If Yamamoto's injury isn't serious, they might go back to that matchup. If not, Charlie Valencia would be an interesting opponent for "Kamikaze".
Watch it now, later, or never?
Later. McDonald's counter-fighting style in this bout sapped a fair amount of the expected excitement, but the fight still had some high points and good exchanges. If anything, you should watch it and score it yourself just to see if you agree with the judges.
More UFC 130 Results and Analysis from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 130 Results: Making the Case for a Miguel Torres Win Over Demetrious Johnson - Kid Nate and Dallas G Winston
UFC 130 Results: Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Frank Mir and Post-Hangover Thoughts - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 130 Results: Rampage Jackson's Fading Star -Kid Nate
UFC 130 Results: Brian Stann's Victory Over Jorge Santiago Builds Potential for Stardom - Leland Roling
UFC 130 Results: FightMetric Reports for Rampage vs. Hamill, Mir vs. Nelson - Mike Fagan
UFC 130 Results: Frank Mir's Quest for the Heavyweight Title Takes Another Step Forward at UFC 130 - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 130 Results: What's Next for Show's Winners? - Matt Bishop
UFC 130 Results: Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson Fight Video Highlights
UFC 130 Results: Rampage Jackson's Injury Could Derail Title Shot, Miller vs. Bisping to Headline TUF 14 Finale -Anton Tabuena
UFC 130 Results: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Matt Hamill Fight Video Highlights
UFC 130 Results: Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill Post-Fight Recap and Analysis - Mike Fagan
UFC 130 Results: Despite Win, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's Stock Declines as Potential Title Contender - Leland Roling
UFC 130 Results: Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson Couldn't Finish Matt Hamill
UFC 130 Results: Rampage vs. Hamill - Play by Play and Live Commentary
UFC 130 Results: Frank Mir Punks Roy Nelson
UFC 130 Results: Travis Browne Shoots Down Stefan Struve
UFC 130 Results: Rick Story Out Strikes Thiago Alves
UFC 130 Results: Brian Stann Smashes Jorge Santiago
UFC 130 Post-Fight Press Conference Video
UFC 130 Results: Demetrious Johnson Defeats Miguel Torres in Brilliant Grappling Affair
UFC 130 Results: Tim Boetsch Manhandles Kendall Grove in Middleweight Debu
UFC 130 Results: Gleison Tibau Chokes Out Rafaello Oliveira
UFC 130 Results: Michael McDonald Edges Chris Cariaso by Split Decisio
UFC 130 Results: Renan Barao Smartly Executes Gameplan, Dominates Cole Escovedo