Although his contract with the promotion is nearly complete, Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald has no intentions of leaving. Upon signing on back in 2016, MacDonald was initially unsatisfied with how often he was fighting.
Speaking after only having fought once in late 2017, which resulted in a victory over Paul Daley, MacDonald called the promotion “scattered” (via Bloody Elbow):
“It’s been a slow process with Bellator,” MacDonald said. “I think their organization is — they’re a little bit scattered. I’m not the type of fighter that needs to be sidelined and fight once a year. I need to be kept busy.”
However, speaking on the “Pull No Punches” podcast recently, MacDonald has changed his tune. “The Red King” says he is very happy with Bellator and sees no point in testing out free agency when the time comes for a new deal:
“To be honest, I’m very happy with Bellator,” MacDonald said. “I love what we’ve built so far in a short amount of time. I don’t see any reason to test free agency. I could, but I don’t think I will. It’s not on my mind right now.”
MacDonald is preparing to defend his 170-pound title as part of Bellator’s Welterweight Grand Prix Tournament this weekend (Sat. April 27, 2019). He’ll face Jon Fitch in the main event of Bellator 220. MacDonald has three fights left on his current Bellator deal, which would take him to the tournament’s completion should he make it all the way to the finals.
Do you think MacDonald will re-sign with Bellator before his deal expires?
