UFC Hall of Famer Frank Trigg thought Rory MacDonald’s Bellator debut win over Paul Daley further showcased how good he is, but Trigg was also confused as to why UFC didn’t resign him.
Trigg recently was on the The Holy Smokes! MMA Podcast with ‘Showdown’ Joe Ferraro and said MacDonald is still a top five welterweight in the world. MacDonald signed with Bellator last year after a 9-4 UFC record.
“Well Rory is ranked fourth for a reason in his weight class,” Trigg said. “He’s legit. He has a lot left and i was surprised that the UFC actually didn’t counter. I don’t understand why UFC didn’t sign him, he’s such a high-level guy and I don’t know why they would let him go. But Rory is in Bellator now and in his first fight, he destroys [Daley].”
Trigg then broke down MacDonald’s second round submission win over Daley on Bellator 179 and said the fight further proved how ineffective Daley is when he is fighting on the ground.
“Paul had a puncher’s chance,” Trigg said. “As long as he kept on his feet, he had a chance. It could be late in the fight, it could be final round, Paul still has a puncher’s chance of winning. But the reality is, the problem with Paul Daley, when he gets on the ground, he gets submitted too easily. He’s got no wrestling ability. He gets frustrated easier against a guy that knows how to work him on top, like Rory did. Rory is on a different level again.”
You can check out Trigg’s comments around the 56:00 mark in the video above. The Holy Smokes! MMA Podcast with 'Showdown' Joe Ferraro and Fightful managing editor Sean Ross Sapp is live on Fightful.com every Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.
