If there was one thing that may be considered shocking about the whole situation, it may be that Bellator MMA didn’t make MacDonald an offer to stay with them.
“[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,” MacDonald told MMA Fighting. “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.”
MacDonald went 3-2-1 during his time with Bellator MMA, capturing the welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Douglas Lima at Bellator 192.
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker would issue the following statement to MMA Fighting about MacDonald signing with the PFL:
“We’re happy for him and we wish him well. How I feel if there’s a fighter that we really want to keep, we would keep them. I think if you view the historical data, the fighters in Strikeforce or even in Bellator, if we wanted to keep them on the roster, we’ve been able to do it.”
There is no word yet as to when MacDonald will make his PFL debut, as the third season isn’t scheduled to begin until next year.
