Bellator MMA Welterweight Champion Rory MacDonald and Jon Fitch will meet this weekend in the main event of Bellator 220, which also serves as an opening round bout in the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix.
Firas Zahabi, who is MacDonald’s coach, made claims the Fitch was using illegal substances heading into the bout, which surprised the champion.
“I was a bit surprised, because I’d never really heard him talk like that, especially in an interview,” MacDonald told MMA Junkie. “But I guess he really has a strong conviction for that in our sport. But he’s his own man. He can speak what he believes in his own interviews. I can’t blame him. I don’t really know too much history about Jon and his steroids, but apparently, he’s been caught before. That’s on him, I guess. That’s on his conscience.”
Fitch did test positive for illegal substances in 2014, but has not failed a drug test since serving that suspension for the original failure.
The UFC veteran isn’t proud of what transpired, but he left the scenario a better person than before it all took place.
“I’m not proud of it, but it definitely put me in a better position going through it,” he said.
Bellator 220 takes place on Saturday, April 27 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California with Rory MacDonald and Jon Fitch headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on DAZN.
