We are just a few months away from Rory MacDonald’s Bellator MMA debut, where he’ll be taking on Paul Daley in the main event of Bellator 179.
The former UFC Welterweight Title challenger is vowing to bring his old self into the Viacom owned promotion.
“The statement needs to be made with my performance,” MacDonald said during a press conference. “And I’ve been working hard on new things. I’m shying away from point fighting a little bit. I want my strengths to shine in this fight. I want to come after Paul. I want to put him away early and in impressive fashion. This fight won’t look anything like that (Stephen Thompson) fight. I have a lot to prove. That fight is probably the most embarrassing fight of my career. I want to make a statement with this fight. I won’t be looking anything like that. I won’t be picking shots from the outside circling. You’ll be seeing the old Rory back.”
MacDonald hasn’t competed since a unanimous decision loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC Fight Night 89 in June 2016. The Canadian fighter originally wanted to take on welterweight champion Douglas Lima in his promotional debut, but injuries to the champion caused him to take the fight with Daley.
“I kept asking, like every week, ‘Put that (Lima) fight together,'” MacDonald said. “But it didn’t happen. A lot comes down to timing, and I understand. These guys need a break after a fight and he got hurt, so I understand. Not going for the title, the guy to get to the title will be Paul, so it’s the perfect fight. It’s my first fight in Bellator and people are going to see me working up the ladder. They’re going to see me fighting the No.1 contender for that title shot. So I think people get to see a little build up in the division for me.”
Bellator 179 takes place on Friday, May 19 from the SSE Arena in London, England with Rory MacDonald and Paul Daley headlining.
