Rory MacDonald had mixed martial arts (MMA) fans wondering whether or not we’d seen the last of him after his fight with Jon Fitch at Bellator 220. MacDonald went to a Majority Draw against Fitch in their main event welterweight title meeting, a bout in which “The Red King” feels he was unable to pull the trigger.
In his post-fight speech, MacDonald sounded as if he were getting ready to retire from MMA. However, he later clarified he’d move on to face Neiman Gracie in the next round of the Welterweight Grand Prix Tournament. Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” yesterday (Mon. May 6, 2019), MacDonald further explained the situation.
MacDonald said that he has lost the anger that used to motivate him inside the cage. His newfound Christian faith seems to have softened the heart of the former UFC title challenger. MacDonald said he’s not sure what to make of it quite yet (via LowKickMMA):
“I felt like I was unsure of the emotions I was feeling in the fight,” MacDonald said. “For the longest time, I fought with a certain anger inside of me so it was kind of like a release. I felt good to fight, to do damage and it made me feel better about myself in some kind of a way.
“Lately, because of my new relationship with Jesus Christ, I just don’t feel that hurt in my heart or that pain that used to drive me. I have new life and peace in my heart and I don’t really have that anger that used to drive me.
“So it’s kind of weird to go into a fight and not go through the same emotions that I’m used to feeling. So I guess I was just caught up [during the post-fight interview] thinking about why I’m feeling like this, what am I doing here? I was just not sure what to make of it.”
What do you think about MacDonald’s explanation for his performance against Finch?
