Some may see Rory Macdonald’s most recent cage fights, all part of the 2019 Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix, and think that his new mixed martial arts home, has some passing familiarity with the structure of the Professional Fighters League.
Says McDonald (21-6, 14 finishes), who will make his debut as the ESPN2-air headliner for the second event of the PFL season at Oceanic Casino Resort in Atlantic City, facing Atlantic City, NJ on this night. Fellow UFC and Bellator veteran Curtis Millender. The former Bellator 170-pound champion stated his prior promotion and his experience with his tournament “was not the greatest”.
“For PFL, I know my schedule ahead of time,” Macdonald told The Post over zoom on Tuesday. “With Bellator, I didn’t. They threw it at me, and they pressured me into taking fights and things like that. It was very different.”
With PFL, McDonald says, “It’s so far so good.” And although Ray Cooper III will also compete on Thursday as he seeks to repeat as PFL welterweight champion – he won the most recent season in 2019 – it is difficult for anyone to consider McDonald a favorite.
“It seems, when I hear from fighters, they all want a piece of me,” MacDonald said factually of the other nine welterweights in the region. “So in my opinion, it’s a good thing, it’s a compliment that I’ve done well and they want to compete against me.”
However, at the age of 31, McDonald’s is a supporter. He was 5–0 at MMA before the age of 18. At the age of 20, he recorded his first UFC win and went on to a 9–4 lead, which included almost becoming champion, in July 2015 before being sued in front of Robbie Lawler via fifth-round TKO. Which is considered one of the most famous wars of the game.
By 2017, McDonald jumped to Bellatore as a free agent, claiming his welterweight crown from Douglas Lima the following year. After an unsuccessful bid to claim a second title at middleweight, he made his first title defense as part of the Grand Prix. The fight against John Fitch ended in a draw, which was followed by a win over Neiman Gracie at Madison Square Garden in the semi-finals. But in October 2019 the finalists decided to drop Canadian and in the final rematch of their tournament, Lima relinquished their obligations to their crown, Bellatore.
PFL wrote McDonald’s on a contract – “definitely the best contract of my career” – to award him $ 1 million as season champion – which he planned to compete for in the 2020 season. The coronovirus epidemic postponed the season for a year, meaning McDonald would be sidelined for 18 months when he faced Millender (18-6, six finishes), an alternate that original rival David. Michel replaces when career-ending heart disease was discovered.
McDonald’s maintains the rival switch, which did not deviate from what happened earlier this month.
“I think he’s a good boxer, but I think I’m just as good as him, if not better,” McDonald said. “And I think I’m also more skilled in other departments of mixed martial arts.”
McDonald said the long-term layoffs “misfortune” are nothing new to him, although it is nothing from 2015 to 2017, when he competed only once each year. Nonetheless, he used “away from the competition to work on some weaknesses in my training, in my lifestyle, in my mental attitude”.
The mental aspect was particularly important for McDonald, who said in the cage after his draw with Fitch, “I don’t have that killer.” I don’t know It’s really hard to explain, but I’m a little hesitant now. ”
“I’m doing this, understanding why I’m doing this, and I was able to do it,” McDonald told The Post. And I feel that I am better off mentally and physically than before.
McDonald often said, “Just realizing that it was my destiny to have Lord claim me to be ranked No. 1 in this game, in this game, and in this game.” Christian faith. “I was a little confused with John at that point in my career when I was fighting Neiman and Douglas for the second time; I was really passionate about the sport, but I think I was obsessed with all the changes in my life and getting comfortable with the lifestyle I was living and lost a passion for the sport Had been. “
If indeed McDonald’s killer instinct in the cage is back, perhaps the PFL field is right to place him directly in his crossbar.
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