NEW YORK – After the opening round of the Bellator welterweight grand prix tournament, Rory MacDonald didn’t exactly sound motivated. In front of the world, he openly questioned if he had what it took to be a fighter anymore.
Six months later, MacDonald’s demeanor has completely changed. On the cusp of a rematch with former champion Douglas Lima (31-7 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) at Bellator 232, former UFC welterweight title contender MacDonald (21-5-1 MMA, 3-1-1 BMMA) radiated determination at a pre-fight media day held Wednesday.
“I feel great – better than ever,” MacDonald told MMA Junkie. “(I’m) super excited to go show the best version of myself… It’s a motivating situation. The rematch with Douglas is motivating, obviously the $1 million, and the tournament. Everything is just great. I’m just super blessed and thankful for this opportunity.”
The tournament finals were originally scheduled to take place in September. However, when MacDonald clinched a spot to the final round of the grand prix, he requested the fight be pushed off a month. Bellator obliged.
In retrospect, MacDonald thinks he made the right call. He was able to put fighting aside and be there for his family as they welcomed a new addition in July.
“The timing couldn’t have been better,” MacDonald. “We had my son in July. I had about six weeks with him to adjust and got into training camp. Everything just worked out awesome.”
Bellator 232 marks the second time MacDonald and Lima will square off. The first matchup occurred at Bellator 192 in January 2018 when MacDonald defeated Lima by unanimous decision. Despite this, MacDonald is actually an underdog across all major books entering the bout (per BestFightOdds).
Lima has been dominant since the start of the grand prix. MacDonald realizes the Brazilian has improved since their first fight, but thinks he’s sharpened his own tools as well.
“He’s clearly hungry and motivated and been training hard,” MacDonald said. “He’s had some good victories. I’m expecting him to be a very strong fighter. But I’m still going to go out there and dominate him, which makes it even better. It makes it a sweet victory. Everyone knows he’s doing good and has gotten better. So when I go out there and close the show in dominant fashion, it’s going to be great.”
With a victory MacDonald isn’t looking to only earn the $1 million prize. He additionally hopes to secure a new contract with the promotion.
“There’s no question in my mind any more as far as what I want to do with my fighting career. I want to re-sign a deal after this fight and continue … I want this fight to be the statement of my career … I think it will lead to great things and great opportunities and open the eyes of a lot of people.”
Bellator 232 takes place Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
For more from MacDonald, watch the video linked above.
Rory MacDonald feeling 'better than ever,' hopes to re-sign after a dominant Bellator 232 win
