Heading into UFC Fight Night 89 in his home country of Canada, former UFC title contender Rory MacDonald took a hell of a gamble on himself.
MacDonald went into the fight against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson as the final fight of his existing UFC contract, as he opted not to re-sign with the promotion, but instead wait until after the Thompson fight. The belief is that MacDonald was going to be the latest legitimate contender to test the free agency market in the modern MMA landscape.
Unfortunately for MacDonald, however, he would go on to lose to Wonderboy Thompson via unanimous decision after five hard fought rounds in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Despite the fact that he lost his last fight, Bellator MMA appears to be interested in the Canadian contender.
Following the Bellator 157 post-fight press conference on Friday night, Bellator MMA President Scott Coker spoke about the promotion’s interest in Rory MacDonald with MMAFighting.com.
“It really comes down to, we’re Bellator, and we’re going to go after all free agents,” Coker said. “When [MacDonald’s] contract is up, and I think he might have some contingencies in the negotiation period, and we’re not going to breach any contracts. But when they are ready to talk, we’re here and Rory’s somebody we’d definitely be interested in when he’s free.”
When asked if MacDonald losing his last fight matters, Coker simply shook his head and replied, “One fight doesn’t paint the whole picture.”
Maybe Rory’s gamble will end up paying off after all.