Fomer welterweight champion and one-time middleweight contender Rory MacDonald has ended his stay with Bellator MMA after two years with the promotion.
A former UFC top contender, MacDonald made his Bellator debut in May 2017 where he submitted Paul Daley in the second round of their fight in England.
The Canadian fighter then punched his way atop the welterweight class as he became a world champion, following a decision victory over Douglas Lima in January 2018.
He went on to defend the welterweight title for two straight times before losing it to Lima in their rematch this October.
It was MacDonald’s last fight in the Bellator cage under his contract.
And he will not return to the Santa Monica-based MMA outfit for another tour of duty as he is now joining the Professional Fighters League, as per an announcement from ESPN – the PFL’s broadcast partner.
Thankful
In an interview with MMA Fighting hours after the shocking announcement, ‘The Red King’ revealed he did not receive a new offer from Bellator, leading him to negotiate with other promotions.
Nevertheless, he is grateful that a new door has been opened for him.
“[The deal with PFL] came about after a period of time, we had to give Bellator some time to give us an offer, but we never heard anything from them.”
“So we exercised to negotiate with other companies and PFL really stepped up.”
“I haven’t heard anything from Bellator. It’s hard for me to say where they stand on it. No, [they didn’t make an offer].”
“I was a bit surprised but I think God’s hand was on this whole thing and he worked it out for my good so I’m really thankful for the Lord that he’s blessed me with this opportunity.”
Excited
Going into his new home with a 21-6- win-loss record, MacDonald said he is excited to compete in the PFL cage as there are many things there that intrigues him.
“It’s perfect for fighters.”
“We need to have options to see what fits our goals and have different offers out there to see what fits for us. PFL fit really perfectly for me.”
“I’m really excited about the offer and the opportunities I have with them. I’m excited about their schedule, as far as their season format. It’s performance based.”
“There’s no reason to have to trash talk. With the current format, fans get to appreciate fighters for who they are and what martial arts is all about.”
“PFL also does a great job telling individual fighter’s stories, which nowadays it’s all about drama and putting on a bigger show than what you are.”
“That really speaks to me. Being on ESPN, having a huge crowd to see my fights.”
“Obviously, the $1 million prize is huge. Another thing I really like are the two fights in one night for the quarter and semifinals.”
“That’s really intriguing for me.”
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Rory MacDonald)