David Michaud doesn’t agree with some of the critics who say Rory MacDonald has regressed.
The PFL welterweight is preparing to take on one of the best fighters in his division and nothing less April 29. Michaud (18-6) meets MacDonald (21-6-1), a former Bellator welterweight champion and multiple-time UFC title challenger, at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., as part of the first round of the PFL welterweight season.
Critics in the past have claimed that McDonald had taken a step back in his career. He went 3-2-1 in Bellator after leaving the UFC in 2016. The two defeats come to current Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima and current Bellator middleweight title holder Gegard Mousasi.
Michaud doesn’t put too much stock on those defeats and won’t take MacDonald lightly ahead of their April 29 date.
“He’s been through some wars and I think that’s why guys are expecting that chin to start going away eventually, but his last fight was for the Bellator championship and he was the Bellator world champ for along time,” Michaud told MMA Junkie. “So it’s not like he was out there getting knocked out by bums. I think he’s only been finished by Robbie Lawler, which you know, that’s one of the best guys at 170 (MacDonald has been stoped three times vs. Carlos Condit, Lawler and Mousasi).
“So he’s not out here taking bad loses and he’s not losing guys who aren’t top level. I mean. he lost to Douglas Lima, ok? Who’s going to ever sit there and say Douglas Lima is not one of the best in the world. So I don’t think he’s lost what people say he’s lost. I’m just excited to get back in there and try my hand with him.”
Michaud believes this is the highest profile fight of his career, as MacDonald is easily the biggest name in the PFL 170-pound division. However, the MMA Lab product feels many others in the level of Rory, maybe not name wise but definitely skill wise.
“If I didn’t get to fight him, it would’ve been a big fight either way,” Michaud said. “I think welterweight in PFL is the deepest division and there’s a lot of really good guys. Theres a couple of guys in here still that have wins over me. There’s Magomed Magomedkerimov, the returning champ, there’s plenty of tough fighters. Rory is definitely the biggest name and it was someone I wanted to fight for sure.”
David Michaud doesn’t see Rory MacDonald’s decline the way some are saying
