Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Douglas Lima discusses his rematch with Rory MacDonald this weekend at Bellator 232.
Douglas Lima is fully prepared to admit Rory MacDonald was the better man in their first clash.
Lima (31-7) looks to reclaim his welterweight title from MacDonald (21-5-1) in the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix finals at Bellator 232. This is not the first-time, however, that Lima is looking to reclaim gold. “The Phenom” lost his first welterweight title to Andrey Koreshkov in 2015 before winning it back the following year. History may just repeat itself as Lima looks to regain the gold he lost to MacDonald last January. Lima compared the two comebacks when speaking with Bloody Elbow.
“That first one, I was dealing with something a lot more serious. I was dealing with a crazy injury. When I defended against Korshekov the first time, it was terrible. I couldn’t train right, the knee was bad. I was supposed to pull out of the fight but I didn’t want to for financial reasons. I had to fight. There was a lot to put back in place to get that title back,” he explained. “This time around it’s just learning, it’s experience. I lost the fight, it was a mistake on my part. I have no excuses, I was ready. I lost and learned a lot from it. I grew and I’m ready to take it back.”
Lima, 31, almost lost it all at the hands of severe knee injuries. He shared this piece of advice for other fighters on the path to glory.
“Stay faithful, keep working hard because one day it’ll happen. I believed in myself, I believed that I was going to come back. Just keep following the dream. Everything could have been taken away from me. If I had stopped fighting at that point, I don’t know what would’ve happened. The moment I had worked my whole life for. I won the world title, I was finally starting to get paid more,” Lima said. “I kept my faith, I prayed a lot, I believed in God. Here I am; I came back and I’m better than ever.”
Some question MacDonald’s commitment to the fight game following a majority draw against Jon Fitch at Bellator 220. Lima is not one of those people.
“I’m expecting the best of him. I know people say he looks different and that he’s not fighting the same way. I believe he’s still got it. That Fitch fight was a very close, very tough fight. That’s not an easy fight for anybody. Jon Fitch is a just a tough gamer,” he argued. “MacDonald pretty much dominated his last fight against Gracie. He looked really good. He got in trouble a couple of times there, but I think he’ll be at his best for this fight. I know he knows how dangerous of a fight this is for both of us.”
Douglas is not the only Lima making strides in the fight game. His younger brother Dhiego Lima (13-5) has really turned his MMA career around. Dhiego has gone from losing three consecutive fights to winning three in a row in the UFC. Douglas says he values his brother’s success as much as his own.
“I consider both the same. I win, he wins. He wins, I win. It’s a good relationship. Fighting is what we do, it’s our job,” Lima shared. “He’s doing so good right now. He’s got three straight wins. He’s finding himself in there. I’m proud of him. It makes me happy. It makes my training better. It’s very important to me that we do this together.”
Bellator 232 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 26. The event is headlined by Lima vs. MacDonald II. Other notable fighters on the card include Paul Daley and Nick Newell.