mma / News

Rory MacDonald Likely to Make Bellator Debut in Summer 2017

August 29, 2016 | Posted by Larry Csonka

– Rory MacDonald recently spoke with mmajunkie.com, and revealed his Bellator debut plans and more. Here are the highlights…

When Will He Debut With Bellator?: “It’s going to be in 2017. I’m going to say summer, but we’ll see what happens. It could be before that, but definitely 2017. I want to give my nose 100 percent time to heal. Last time, I didn’t give it the time I was supposed to. I was too hungry to get back in there and spar with guys and fight. I really have to pump the brakes on this one because I can’t be taking a year off between every fight. I’m going to give it the time it needs to heal back to 100 percent, and then hopefully I can fight once a quarter.”

On Negotiating With Bellator: “For contract negotiations, it went pretty well – it went pretty smooth. (President) Scott (Coker) and the guys at Bellator, they’re very professional and very easy to talk to – very approachable. Right away, I had a good vibe and had it in my mind that I was going to end up here. It was just a feeling, an intuition. I’m really happy with how it worked out. It couldn’t work out better – they’re treating me well already. “(There were) no restless nights – maybe for my manager. But I felt confident going into this negotiation. I wasn’t too stressed. I know my worth, and I was sticking to it. Now it’s just about putting on a show, getting out there and taking that belt.”

On Bellator’s Welterweight Division: “I think we have the best 170-pound division on the planet right now, if you think of Koreshkov, Paul Daley, Rory MacDonald, (Douglas) Lima, MVP (Michael Page), Fernando Gonzalez,” Coker said. “It’s a stacked division. A lot is going to happen between now and the time (MacDonald is) ready to fight, so let’s see how those other cards play out, and we’ll have some announcements in the next month for what will be happening.”