Rory MacDonald News
Rory MacDonald reacts following title loss to Douglas Lima
Chris Taylor - October 26, 2019
Rory MacDonald squared off with Douglas Lima for second time in tonight’s Bellator 232 looking to retain his Bellator welterweight world championship. MacDonald and Lima had first met at Bellator 192 in January of 2018, with ‘The Red King’ emerging victorious by way of unanimous decision.
Pros react to Rory MacDonald vs. Douglas Lima 2 at Bellator 232
Chris Taylor - October 26, 2019
Rory MacDonald squared off with the man he defeated to win the title Douglas Lima in the headliner of tonight’s Bellator 232 event. MacDonald (21-5-1 MMA) got to the Bellator welterweight grand prix finals (while retaining his title) by defeating Neiman Gracie and going to a majority draw with Jon Fitch.
Bellator 232 Results: Douglas Lima defeats Rory MacDonald (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - October 26, 2019
Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald will face the man he defeated to win the title Douglas Lima in the headliner of tonight’s Bellator 232 event. MacDonald (21-5-1 MMA) got to the Bellator welterweight grand prix finals by defeating Neiman Gracie and going to a majority draw with Jon Fitch.
Bellator 232 | Pro fighters make their picks for Rory MacDonald vs. Douglas Lima
Cole Shelton - October 23, 2019
In the main event of Bellator 232, the welterweight title is on the line, as well as the welterweight grand prix title. The champion, Rory MacDonald rematches Douglas Lima in a very interesting bout. Heading into the scrap, the champion is a +130 underdog while the challenger is a -160 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning to hearing ‘And New’ but they all agree it is a very close fight.
Bellator 222 | Pros react to Rory MacDonald beating Neiman Gracie to retain welterweight title
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2019
In the main event of Bellator 222, Rory MacDonald was looking to defend his welterweight title against undefeated jiu-jitsu star, Neiman Gracie. It was also the semi-finals of the welterweight Grand Prix where the winner would take on Douglas Lima. But, the major question going into the fight, is how Rory MacDonald would perform. After his performance against Jon Fitch he wasn’t sure if had the desire to hurt anyone anymore.
Bellator 222 Results: Rory MacDonald defeats Neiman Gracie (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - June 14, 2019
The Bellator welterweight title was up for grabs in the main event of Bellator 222, as reigning champion Rory MacDonald squared off with Neiman Gracie. Rory MacDonald was making a quick turnaround, this after competing at April’s Bellator 220 event. There, ‘The Red King’ battled Jon Fitch to a draw, this retaining his welterweight title and advancing in the promotions welterweight tournament.
Rory MacDonald explains how 'new relationship with Jesus Christ' has changed him as a fighter
Tom Taylor - May 8, 2019
Ever since his contentious Bellator 220 draw with Jon Fitch, there’s been some question about what the future holds for Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald. Much of that uncertainty stems from the comments he’s made about his flagging urge to hurt people. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, MacDonald added a bit of clarity to the situation. He explained that, since rediscovering his faith, he no longer feels the anger he once did when he steps into the cage.
Jon Fitch believes 'we need some new people judging fights' after controversial draw against MacDonald
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2019
Jon Fitch had his shot to win Bellator gold last Saturday, and many believed he had succeeded by the time the final bell rang. Fitch, who many counted out, came out and took Rory MacDonald down over and over again and dominated him on the ground. He even won one round 10-8 — but even that couldn’t earn Fitch the win. Rather, only one judge had the fight for the 41-year-old, with the other two seeing it is a draw. This means the fight was ruled a majority draw, and because MacDonald was the champion, he moved on in the welterweight Grand Prix.
Bellator 220 medical suspensions: Rory MacDonald facing long-term sit
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2019
Bellator 220 was a great card, highlighted by some fun back-and-forth fights, and handful of grisly finishes. While these factors made for an entertaining card, they unfortunately also meant that several fighters on the bill were handed lengthy medical suspensions by the California State Athletic Commission. Main event fighter Rory MacDonald, for example, could be out 180 days after his back-and-forth fight with Jon Fitch, while Veta Arteaga is facing a lengthy sit due a cut sustained in her loss to Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, and Liam McGeary has been sidelined due to a broken jaw.
Firas Zahabi shuts down talk of Rory MacDonald retiring
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2019
After Rory MacDonald fought to a majority draw against Jon Fitch in the first round of the welterweight grand prix, his post-fight comments caused quite a stir. “I don’t know what to say,” MacDonald said post-fight. “I landed some good stuff in there, I don’t know. It’s hard to sometimes pull the trigger now. I don’t have that killer inside. It’s really hard to explain. But I hesitate a little bit now. It wasn’t my best performance.”
Bellator 220 fighter salaries: Rory MacDonald leaves as highest earner
Drake Riggs - April 29, 2019
Bellator 220 went down on Saturday night as it was headlined by two big title fights in the respective welterweight and flyweight divisions. In the co-main event, we saw “The Ilimanator” Ilima-Lei Macfarlane extend her perfect record to 10-0 as she picked up her third title defense by finishing Veta Arteaga in the third-round by TKO (doctor’s stoppage). Macfarlane landed a vicious elbow to the forehead of her opponent that opened a cut that was too severe for the fight to continue.
Neiman Gracie calls 'bulls**t' on Rory MacDonald's post-fight comments
Tom Taylor - April 29, 2019
Shortly after battling Jon Fitch to a draw in the main event of Bellator 220, Bellator welterweight champ Rory MacDonald made some comments that cast doubt on his future as a fighter. Most notably, he suggested that he no longer has the desire to hurt people — certainly an issue for those who make their living fighting in a cage.
Bellator 220 results: Rory MacDonald draws with Jon Fitch (Highlights)
Drake Riggs - April 27, 2019
Bellator has brought back life to their old school style of tournaments with their world title Grand Prix’s. And for the welterweight tournament, Bellator 220 hosted the first title fight as the champion, Rory MacDonald, made his first return after an unsuccessful attempt at capturing middleweight gold in his last time out. The extremely season veteran, Jon Fitch looked to make it two losses in a row for the Canadian. MacDonald rushes forward immediately and cracks Fitch with a hard right hand that stuns him. Fitch retaliates with a single leg attempt. He gets it down slowly as MacDonald threatens with a kimura as he stands back up. Fitch keeps grinding on him but MacDonald goes back for the kimura. They separate and MacDonald throws some shots before defending a Fitch takedown attempt. Another big right from MacDonald lands. Fitch has a cut in his hair somewhere. MacDonald backs Fitch up and is stalking. Fitch shoots for a takedown and gets it big this time. Fitch works ground and pound to the body as the round closes.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rory MacDonald vs Jon Fitch
Cole Shelton - April 26, 2019
In the main event of Bellator 220, Rory MacDonald will look to defend his welterweight title against Jon Fitch. Not only will MacDonald be putting his belt on the line, but it will also be the last matchup of the first round of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their picks for the fight. And, they all are leaning one way.
EXCLUSIVE | Rory MacDonald impressed by Ben Askren's UFC debut, 'He's quite a powerful star'
Drake Riggs - April 25, 2019
Current Bellator welterweight champion, Rory MacDonald has become fairly familiar with ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler over the years. Formerly a staple of the UFC’s 170-pound division, MacDonald would fight Lawler twice during his UFC run. The first time being in a three-round affair that saw him on the wrong end of a split decision. Their second encounter would come two years later as Lawler was now the champion.
EXCLUSIVE | Rory MacDonald knows 'what not to do' against Jon Fitch after Gegard Mousasi fight
Drake Riggs - April 25, 2019
The last bout of the Bellator welterweight Grand Prix’s opening round is set to headline this Saturday night’s Bellator 220 event live in San Jose, California. The bout will be the first of the tournament to feature the title being contested. Of course, that means that the current champion, Rory MacDonald, will be putting his crown on the line as he faces off with seasoned veteran, Jon Fitch.
EXCLUSIVE | Jon Fitch preparing to shock the world in Bellator 220 main event
Cole Shelton - April 23, 2019
Jon Fitch is fighting for the Bellator welterweight title on Saturday night, in the last first-round bout of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. The 41-year-old, who is 1-0 inside the Bellator cage, will be taking on the champion Rory MacDonald in the main event of Bellator 220. Although Fitch is the underdog heading into this fight, the veteran is more than ready to do what he has to do to win.
Coach Firas Zahabi rips 'cheater' Jon Fitch in virulent tirade
Tom Taylor - April 19, 2019
On April 27, in the main event of Bellator 220, Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald will attempt to defend his title against former World Series of Fighting champ Jon Fitch in the final, first-round bout of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. Speaking to Robin Black and DAZN ahead of this fight, MacDonald’s coach Firas Zahabi, the main behind Tristar MMA, went off Jon Fitch, calling him a cheater and a coward.