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Report: Bellator Has Begun Talks With Free Agent Rory MacDonald

A few months back, former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory “Red King” MacDonald, a man who has loomed atop the promotion’s 170-pound division for years now, made it clear that he was interested in testing free agency after fighting out the last fight on his contract in hopes of finding the best deal possible. Well,

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Well, that last fight has come and gone, and it didn’t end particularly well for MacDonald, as the Canadian dropped a very one-sided decision to surging contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson last month in Ottawa.

Now, the 26-year-old MacDonald is free to test the free agency waters and according to a tweet from MMAJunkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu, the “Red King” has already received interest from Bellator President Scott Coker:

Bellator President Scott Coker told me they have begun a line of communication with Rory MacDonald in the hopes of signing the free agent.

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) July 14, 2016

We have seen multiple former UFC fighters jump ship and head to Bellator in recent memory including veterans Josh Koscheck and Josh Thomson as well as former lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

Prior to his loss to “Wonderboy” MacDonald had won three of his last four with the only loss in that stretch coming in a five round war for the ages against reigning UFC king Robbie Lawler in July 2015. Those three victories came opposite the likes of Demian Maia, current title challenger Tyron Woodley, and Tarec Saffiedine. MacDonald also owns wins over Nate Diaz, B.J Penn, and Jake Ellenberger.

Already an established star at the young age of 26, MacDonald undoubtedly has room to grow, and obviously has a long career ahead of him. Do you see Bellator luring in the “Red King”, or will MacDonald remain with the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization?

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Rory MacDonald May Need Surgery After Breaking Nose Again

Last July, Rory “Red King” MacDonald battled it out for five bloody rounds with champion Robbie Lawler in a slugfest for the ages that saw both men have their moments. In the end, however, MacDonald’s nose was shattered and he was finished in the fifth. After taking some time off, MacDonald returned to action last

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After taking some time off, MacDonald returned to action last night in his native Canada, taking on surging contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 from Ottawa. The fight produced yet another five round war, and MacDonald once again walked away battered.

The Canadian also suffered yet another broken nose late in the fight, a feeling he described as ‘familiar’. MacDonald also admitted that his nose had broken multiple times leading up the bout and that surgery may be required:

“Fifth round, during a trade, we were both trading a little bit. I don’t know what it was, I was just trying to throw combinations and duck my head but something landed and I felt the waterfall start. The familiar feeling,” MacDonald described at the post-fight press conference.

“I broke it actually a couple times before this fight. I have no idea. I gave it time, it kept breaking. I don’t know if surgery’s going to be the best route. I really just have to take time and at least I’d probably look into surgery, see if that can make it stronger because just time off didn’t do (expletive).”

Later on, MacDonald once again reiterated that he’ll need some time off:

“My nose needs surgery,” MacDonald said. “I’m going to need some time.”

After two straight losses, perhaps some time away and some healing would be best for the “Red King”, who has clearly established himself as a true warrior inside the Octagon.

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UFC Exec ‘Encourages’ Rory MacDonald To Test Free Agency

The last time we saw Rory MacDonald in the Octagon was last July at UFC 189 when he took on champion Robbie Lawler in a brutal five round war that saw the “Red King” suffer a devastating loss early on in the final frame. Months after the bout, MacDonald told Ariel Helwani that he had

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Months after the bout, MacDonald told Ariel Helwani that he had one fight left on his UFC contract, and that he planned to test free agency after fighting out his deal, indicating that he was in search of the most money he could earn. Well, that fight will take place tomorrow night (June 18, 2016) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 as MacDonald takes on surging No. 2-ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

With a win, MacDonald could very well be right in line for another shot at divisional supremacy, and it’s unclear how the outcome of tomorrow’s clash will affect the “Red King’s” free agency aspirations.

Free agency has become a more common trend in the last year, and the UFC hasn’t seemed too fond of it, although Tom Wright, Executive VP and General Manager of UFC Operations in Canada recently told MMAJunkie that he ‘encourages’ MacDonald to test free agency:

“I think we’re all about making sure we’ve got as many great Rory MacDonald’s in every part of the world because clearly he’s a great fighter, he’s a great competitor, he’s a great representative of our sport,” Wright said. “But in the end, it’s Rory’s decision, and we encourage him to go into the open market. That’s something he’s certainly entitled to do, and we would encourage him to do so.”

“In the end we’re just looking forward to sitting down with him after and having a good conversation,” Wright said. “He wants to put on a big performance and then fight for the UFC championship belt. So, we’ll wait and see what happens. But what Rory does is up to him, and we’ll support whatever he decides.”

Could you really see the UFC letting a young, established star like MacDonald walk away?

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UFC Fight Night 89 Weigh-In Video & Results

UFC Fight Night 89 goes down tomorrow night (Saturday June 18, 2016) from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Canada. It’s weigh-in day here at LowKickMMA.com, and there’s a host of well known names set to hit the scales at 5 PM ET. Although officially they’ll be weighing in this morning, we will now get to

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The main event pits welterweight contenders Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Rory MacDonald against each other in a battle for that 170-pound title fight. The Canadian MacDonald hasn’t seen action since his gruelling five round war with Robbie Lawler at UFC 189, but could well set himself up for a trilogy fight with a victory on home turf. It’s been a whole different story for Thompson, who has knocked out Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger to cap off his current six fight win streak.

The co-main event for the evening sees dangerous strikers Donald Cerrone and Patrick Cote go to war. ‘Cowboy’ will look to improve to 2-0 at 170 pounds after choking Alex Oliveira in February, and ‘The Predator’ is currently riding three straight, including stoppage wins over Josh Burkman and Ben Saunders.

There’s a host of other well known names and former title challengers on the card, so you won’t want to miss this weekend’s action in Canada.

Tune in live at 5 PM ET for the live streaming UFC Ottawa weigh-ins, or check in right after for the updated results!

Event: UFC Fight Night 89: “MacDonald vs. Thompson”
Date: Sat., June 18, 2016
Location: The Arena at TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Broadcast: FOX Sports 1

FOX Sports 1 Main Event:

Rory MacDonald (170.5) vs. Stephen Thompson (170.5)

FOX Sports 1 Co-Main Event:Donald Cerrone (171) vs. Patrick Cote (171)

FOX Sports 1 Main Card (10:30 p.m. ET):

Steve Bosse (205) vs. Sean O’Connell (205)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (155) vs. Thibault Gouti (156)
Valerie Letourneau (125.5) vs. Joanne Calderwood (125.5)

FOX Sports 2 Prelims (8:30 p.m. ET):

Jason Saggo (155) vs. Leandro Silva (155.5)
Misha Cirkunov (205.5) vs. Ion Cutelaba (202.5)
Tamdan McCrory (185) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (184.5)
Chris Beal (134) vs. Joe Soto (135)

UFC Fight Pass Prelims (6:30 p.m. ET):

Elias Theodorou (186) vs. Sam Alvey (185.5)
Randa Markos (117.5, will forfeit 20 percent of purse) vs. Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (115)
Colby Covington (170) vs. Jonathan Meunier (170.5)
Ali Bagautinov (125.5) vs. Geane Herrera (125)

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Five Key Questions Heading Into UFC Fight Night 89

The UFC is back in our lives this weekend as UFC Fight Night 89 is slated to air live and free on FOX Sports 1 this Saturday night (June 18, 2016) from Ottawa, Canada. The UFC has produced an entertaining card featuring some solid Canadian talent, a fan favorite, and a pivotal main event with

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The UFC is back in our lives this weekend as UFC Fight Night 89 is slated to air live and free on FOX Sports 1 this Saturday night (June 18, 2016) from Ottawa, Canada.

The UFC has produced an entertaining card featuring some solid Canadian talent, a fan favorite, and a pivotal main event with serious title implications.

The event should provide us with some answers regarding what’s next for some of the UFC’s biggest stars.

With that being said, let’s take a look at five key questions heading into UFC Fight Night 89…

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‘Wonderboy’ Could Be Robbie Lawler’s Last Roadblock To Legend Status

No. 2-ranked UFC welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson may very well be the best striker in all of mixed martial arts (MMA), or he at least ranks amongst the elite in that category. The 33-year-old has suddenly emerged as a legitimate contender in the 170-pound division after putting together a six fight win streak that

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No. 2-ranked UFC welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson may very well be the best striker in all of mixed martial arts (MMA), or he at least ranks amongst the elite in that category.

The 33-year-old has suddenly emerged as a legitimate contender in the 170-pound division after putting together a six fight win streak that was capped off by a dominant stoppage victory over ex-champion Johny Hendricks last February.

In the wake of such success, “Wonderboy” will get his chance to establish himself as the clear No. 1 contender in the main event of this weekend’s (June 18, 2016) UFC Fight Night 89 when he meets former title challenger and top-ranked welterweight Rory “Red King” MacDonald.

If Thompson can secure yet another win over a respectable name, the UFC will no longer be able to deny him a title shot, and he could very well represent the last roadblock to champion Robbie Lawler, who has been on a quest to clean out the top of the division since becoming the champion in December 2014.

The welterweight division packs some serious competition, but in terms of true title contenders, the level of talent appears to dip after the No. 6-ranked Hendricks.

When looking at the fighters ranked from No. 1 to No. 6, Lawler has already beaten three of them, one of them twice, and is slated to face a fourth in Tyron Woodley in the main event of July 30’s UFC 201 from Atlanta, Georgia.

If the “Ruthless” one can get by Woodley, who has been waiting on the sidelines since January 2015, only “Wonderboy” and grappling guru Demian Maia will remain, and the UFC doesn’t appear to be too enthusiastic about pushing Maia towards a title shot given the fact that he isn’t the most marketable name.

With that being said, Thompson could seemingly serve as Lawler’s last obstacle before cleaning out one of the best upper echolons of a division in all of MMA, a true murderer’s row of contenders.

Of course this will be irrelevant if Lawler comes up short against Woodley, and if “Wonderboy” falls opposite MacDonald, then the “Ruthless” one will likely be left with rematches and trilogy bouts. That may not necessarily be a bad thing given the action-packed nature of Lawler’s recent fights, but a division is always striving for new contests.

Lawler vs. Thompson is that new contest.

Neither man has an easy path towards making this bout happen, but given the way each has been fighting, it’s a very realistic possibility. If and when this fight occurs, Thompson will look to continue his rise towards UFC stardom while Lawler’s trek towards 170-pound greatness will hang in the balance.

How do you see the future of the welterweight division playing out?

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