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Rory MacDonald Open To UFC Return Following Successful PFL Run

Former UFC Welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald has recently made comments that he would be open to a return to the Octagon. While MacDonald is currently preparing for the third season for the PFL season trying to win the $1 million grand prize, he was asked in a Q&A about a potential return to the […]

“UFC comeback? Possibly. We’ll see,” MacDonald said. “I plan on doing some of my best fights in PFL in the next couple of years while I’m with them, but you never know what’s going to happen after that.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)

“My upcoming fight is April 29 in, wait, I don’t know where it is yet, but April 29 I believe. That will be will be my first round of the PFL regular season,” MacDonald said, mentioning Ray Cooper III and Magomed Magomedov as potential opponents.

MacDonald (21-6-1) fought for the UFC for 6 years, holding huge wins over BJ Penn, Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia and a couple of notable wars with the champion at the time, Robbie Lawler.

After a successful run in Bellator, MacDonald signed with PFL and was expected to compete in the promotion’s 2020 season. However, PFL held no events this past year due to the Pandemic and MacDonald was left waiting for his next opportunity. The PFL is now ready to go for its third season and MacDonald has confirmed his upcoming date. It will certainly be a thrill to see the Canadien back in the sport, competing for another $1 Million grand prize.

Do you want to see Rory MacDonald back in the UFC? How would he fare? How do you see him performing in the upcoming PFL season?

Rory MacDonald Hopes To Cement Legacy As One Of The Best Welterweights Of All Time

Rory MacDonald is hoping to cement his place as one of the best welterweights of all time during his PFL stint. MacDonald signed with the PFL in December after departing Bellator following his welterweight title loss to Douglas Lima. It was an exciting new chapter for both fighter and promotion — until the COVID-19 pandemic […]

Rory MacDonald is hoping to cement his place as one of the best welterweights of all time during his PFL stint.

MacDonald signed with the PFL in December after departing Bellator following his welterweight title loss to Douglas Lima. It was an exciting new chapter for both fighter and promotion — until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the PFL to cancel its entire 2020 season.

While it’s frustrating for MacDonald who was hoping to be active this year, the time off has allowed him to improve himself and focus on the next stage of his carer.

“Of course it’s frustrating,” MacDonald told MMA Junkie. “I was really motivated to start this new chapter with a bang. C’est la vie. I’m going to use this time wisely. I’m also using it to look inward and try to improve myself.

“I’m also looking back on the past to try to right my wrongs moving forward. In a sense, it was a positive thing, because it gave me some time to reflect and dial in my focus for the next chapter of my career.”

MacDonald Wants To Show Full Potential

The former UFC welterweight title challenger and Bellator champion acknowledges he made mistakes during his twenties when it came to training as well as business decisions.

That is why he is hoping to have more success in his thirties and make it the best part of his career. His main goal? Fulfill his full potential and become one of the best welterweights of all time in the entire sport.

“I’m really focused on achieving my goal of being one of the best to ever do it,” MacDonald added. “I feel like I slipped my opportunity at being world champion with the UFC. My career kind of went like this a little bit in my twenties. My thirties, I just really want it to be an uphill trajectory. I don’t want to have big ups and downs and lose focus in some fights and be hungry in others.

“I just really want to stay hungry and get after my goal of being one of the best welterweights that (has) ever competed in this sport. That’s what I’m focused on – making a name for myself, and showing my skills and my full potential.”

Do you think MacDonald will be able to do that at PFL? Or does he need to come back to the UFC?

EXCLUSIVE | Douglas Lima: Rory MacDonald Trilogy Could Still Happen

Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima thinks he could still complete his trilogy with Rory MacDonald despite the fact the Canadian has signed with PFL. Lima and MacDonald shared a rivalry in Bellator that saw them fight twice. The Brazilian lost his title in his first bout against MacDonald at Bellator 192 in January 2018. Lima […]

Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima thinks he could still complete his trilogy with Rory MacDonald despite the fact the Canadian has signed with PFL.

Lima and MacDonald shared a rivalry in Bellator that saw them fight twice. The Brazilian lost his title in his first bout against MacDonald at Bellator 192 in January 2018. Lima was able to reclaim the 170lb title by beating ‘The Red King’ over five rounds at Bellator 232 in October 2019.

The two men were far and away the best welterweights on the Bellator roster and looked set for a trilogy fight in the near future. Late last year MacDonald opted to leave Bellator and sign with the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) scurppering those plans.

Speaking exclusively to LowKickMMA, Lima admits he was surprised to see MacDonald leave Bellator but insists the trilogy fight may still happen, he said.

“I was really hoping that fight would happen again in the future you know a trilogy. It was a surprise. It really was a surprise that he moved to PFL but good for him. He’s looking out for himself. He’s probably got a great deal and he’s probably looking for the $1 million tournaments there as well. So you know, good for him. You never know with MMA, that’s why it might happen in the future who knows?”

Lima also took time out to reflect on his rivalry with MacDonald. The 33-year-old champion believes facing off against someone of that level taught him a lot and made him confident heading into the rematch, he explained.

“I learned a lot from fights you know. Pretty much every fight that I’ve rematch, that I’ve lost, I’ve won. I knew it wasn’t going to be different. Once I fight somebody, I really get to know their style a lot more. It wasn’t as exciting as the first fight, but still a technical battle. I was really confident I was going to beat him in the rematch. He did a much better job in defending the low kicks in the second fight. So, it was good. I still got the victory unanimous decision. (I was) happy I got the rematch in the tournament final, it was a big night for me.”

Lima is expected to move up to middleweight and challenge Gegard Mousasi for the vacant title soon. The pair were due to meet at Bellator 242 on May 9 but the ongoing global pandemic halted those plans. Lima is now hoping to get the fight in July when Bellator begins hosting events again.

Do you think Douglas Lima and Roy MacDonald will fight for a third time?

The Top Five Canadian MMA Fighters Of All Time

Canada has been a hot bed for elite level mixed martial artists and has been the host location of countless great fights throughout the years. It is well known that MMA is being extremely popular among fans of betting and gambling. Since MMA events are postponed, MMA fighters train at home and participate in online broadcasts […]

Canada has been a hot bed for elite level mixed martial artists and has been the host location of countless great fights throughout the years.

It is well known that MMA is being extremely popular among fans of betting and gambling. Since MMA events are postponed, MMA fighters train at home and participate in online broadcasts organized by different gambling providers. So, while events are currently on hold, fans don’t have many options left, to play MMA slots in one the best online casino in Canada to or to check out the list of the top five Canadian MMA fighters of all time, that we’ve put together.

#1 Georges St Pierre (26 – 2)

Top of our list of course is Georges St Pierre. The 38-year-old from Montreal is far and away the greatest Canadian fighter of time. He is also for our money the greatest fighter of all-time full stop. Throughout his 28-fight career he has done it all. ‘GSP’ dominated the welterweight division for almost a decade. He made 10 consecutive defences of his 170lb title between 2008-2013 and beat a bunch of elite level fighters including Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Johny Henricks and Jake Shields. ‘GSP’ only lost twice in his career to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, both of which he avenged in emphatic fashion. The Canadian MMA legend even came back to the sport four years after retiring to dethrone middleweight champion Michael Bisping in an epic fight at UFC 217 in November 2017.

#2 Rory MacDonald (21 – 6 – 1)

Former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald is second on our list of great Canadian fighters. He burst onto the scene as a UFC prospect over a decade ago and was touted as the heir to St Pierre’s welterweight throne. His record is littered with big-name wins over BJ Penn, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and Douglas Lima. However, he is most known for his Fight of the Decade with Robbie Lawler. MacDonald came up short in lone UFC title shot suffering a fifth-round TKO loss against Lawler. ‘The Red King’ is currently signed to PFL and at just 30-years-old still has plenty of time to build on his already great MMA legacy.

#3 TJ Grant (21 – 5)

Lightweight contender TJ Grant is a sad story of wasted potential, but he nonetheless goes down as our third greatest Canadian MMA fighter of all time. Grant looked unimpressive during his first six fights in the UFC. He won three fights and lost three fights against some of the best fighters at welterweight. Grant decided to drop down to 155lbs and never lost again inside the octagon. He won five straight including a highlight-reel knockout over former title challenger Gray Maynard. The fight earned him a shot at lightweight champion Benson Henderson, but Grant was never able to take it. He suffered a concussion in 2013 and never managed to recover. Grant was still a great fighter and it was a pleasure watching him representing Canada during his rise through the ranks at lightweight.

#4 Carlos Newton (16 – 14)

Despite his less than pretty record it’s impossible for us to leave out Carlos Newton from this list. He was a pioneer for Canadian MMA. Starting his career in 1996 he fought and beat the best fighters of his era. He captured the UFC lightweight (now welterweight) title by beating Pat Miletich in 2001. By doing so he became the first Canadian UFC champion and etched his name in MMA history forever.

#5 Patrick Cote (23 – 11)

Last but by no means least is Patrick Cote – one of the hardest hitters in Canadian history. Throughout his 15-year professional MMA career, Cote came so close to achieving greatness but always missed out. He finished runner-up in The Ultimate Fighter, before falling short in against Anderson Silva in his lone shot at UFC gold. Despite that, he beat a bunch of great fighters including Josh Burkman, Ben Saunders, Kyle Noke, Ricardo Almeida, Kendall Grove, and many more. A Canadian MMA list without him wouldn’t be worth reading. Hat’s off on a hell of a career Mr. Cote.

Free Fight: Watch Gegard Mousasi Defeat Rory MacDonald In Bellator Super Fight

As quarantine continues for most of the world, Bellator MMA has started releasing full fights including the middleweight title fight between Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald. Back when both fighters were champions, MacDonald — the welterweight king at the time — moved up to challenge Mousasi for his crown in the Bellator 206 headliner in […]

As quarantine continues for most of the world, Bellator MMA has started releasing full fights including the middleweight title fight between Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald.

Back when both fighters were champions, MacDonald — the welterweight king at the time — moved up to challenge Mousasi for his crown in the Bellator 206 headliner in September 2018. If the Canadian had emerged victorious, he would have become the promotion’s first-ever two-weight champion.

However, Mousasi proved to be too big and experienced for the “Red King” as he finished him with brutal ground and pound in the second round of their title contest.

You can watch it below courtesy of the Bellator MMA YouTube channel:

Mousasi would later lose his middleweight title to Rafael Lovato Jr. while MacDonald would get outpointed by Douglas Lima to be unseated as welterweight champion. With Lovato recently stepping away from the sport, Mousasi is now set to face Lima for the vacant title.

Meanwhile, MacDonald departed the promotion late last year and is set to make his PFL debut later this year.

Looking back at the fight, what do you make of it now? Should MacDonald have never been in the cage with Mousasi in the first place?

Ranking the Best Fights from ESPN’s ‘UFC Day’

If we’re sticking strictly to a sports programming context, MMA fans are pretty lucky this weekend. Suddenly content-thin ESPN is throwing the kitchen sink at its daily television schedule, and as a result the UFC has taken center stage…