The Bellator MMA return to London this coming May has it’s main event and it will be taking place in the welterweight division as Paul Daley will be taking on Rory MacDonald.
Daley (39-14-2) has won four of his last five fights under the Bellator MMA banner, with some of the more notable wins coming over Brennan Ward and Andy Uhrich. Daley is actually winless when he fights in Bellator MMA events that take place in England, losing to current Bellator MMA Middleweight Champion Douglas Lima at Bellator 158. Daley will also be headlining his third Bellator MMA event, he is 1-1-0 is past Bellator MMA main event fights.
MacDonald (18-4-0) will be making his Bellator MMA debut in this fight and he will be doing so on a two fight losing streak. MacDonald hasn’t earned a victory in well over two years, his last win came over Tarec Saffiedine by third round TKO at UFC Fight Night 54. MacDonald has previously challenged for the UFC Welterweight Title, losing to then champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 189.
You can see the press release Bellator MMA sent Fightful.com below:
Paul “Semtex” Daley (39-14-2) is getting what he asked for. On May 19, the explosive fighter from Nottingham, England will meet Rory MacDonald (18-4) in the main event of Bellator 179: Daley vs. MacDonald at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Rising undefeated British sensation, Michael “Venom” Page (12-0), better known to Bellator fans as “MVP,” is also expected to make his in-cage return in front of a hometown crowd.
Bellator 179: Daley vs. MacDonald will be broadcast on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the event will be available Friday, March 3 at The SSE Arena, Wembley Box Office (0844 815 0815), ssearena.co.uk andaxs.com. A special SSE pre-sale will take place Wednesday, March 1 through Thursday, March 2. A pre-sale for The SSE Arena, Wembley will be available Thursday, March 2.
Immediately following his flying-knee knockout of Brennan Ward at Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen, Daley took the microphone during his post-fight interview and made the most of his time, emphatically calling for hisMay 19 opponent by name. Now, a little more than 100 miles from his home, “Semtex” will attempt to spoil the Bellator MMA debut of MacDonald. A 55-fight veteran of the sport, with six appearances under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion, the British heavy hitter has recorded victories in 10 of his last 12 bouts with 31 of his 39 victories coming via finish.
After signing MacDonald to an exclusive, multi-year, multi-fight contract in 2016, the must-see talent returned to the gym where he carefully honed his craft and readied himself for an eagerly-anticipated return to MMA. The former No. 1 contender to the UFC welterweight crown now sets his sights on the always-exciting Daley, looking to add to a list of strong career wins, which includes current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, B.J. Penn, Demian Maia and Nate Diaz. “The Red King” is clearly the most popular active Canadian mixed martial artist since Georges St-Pierre, whom MacDonald has trained under for years at the world-renowned TriStar Gym in Montreal. At only 27-years-old, MacDonald joins Bellator’s welterweight fray poised to immediately make an impact in the division, as he looks to defeat Daley and shock the London crowd.
Bellator 179 takes place on Friday, May 19 from the SSE Arena in London, England with Paul Daley and Rory MacDonald headlining, the main card will air on Spike TV.
