mma / News

Rory MacDonald Plans to Prove a Point at Bellator 179

February 27, 2017 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

Rory MacDonald spoke with Ariel Helwani ahead of his fight with Paul Daley at Bellator 179 in May. Some highlights are below:

On his fight with Daley: “Who wouldn’t want a dominant performance? That’s what I’m shooting for. I’m fighting the best guys in the world. … I would be a fool to think I wouldn’t leave with a little blood and a few scrapes here and there. You’ve gotta learn how to like that stuff. I’m a rough guy and I like it when fights get tough.”

On his strategy for the fight: “I’m gonna step back from that and focus on my strengths and apply them in my fights. And not give a sh*t what everybody else’s strength is. I’m just gonna go in there and wreck people with what I know.”

On initially wanting a welterweight title fight for his Bellator debut: “That’s what I was pushing for. It was looking like that. But it’s all about timing. This just happened to fit properly. This is a No. 1 contender fight. It’s possible that my very next fight will be for the title.”

On his nose: “It’s really feeling like back to normal now, having how many months I’ve given it off. I felt like everything’s gonna be fine by end of May, so I took the fight.”

On critics who say he’s taken too much damage in his career and is past his prime: “I guess I’ll just have to go and prove them wrong in this fight. It kind of excites me to be somewhat of an underdog again. I like wearing those shoes. It should be fun just to see everyone’s faces after this fight or after a couple anyway. I want to prove a point. Absolutely. I’m going there to prove a point, to show people what’s up and who I really am. I think they’re gonna see a big change and they’re gonna be happily surprised.”