Douglas Lima admits the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix isn’t ideal for him.
Lima is a former two-time Bellator welterweight champion. Lima put the title on the line against former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 170-pounder Rory MacDonald. “Red King” ended up earning a unanimous decision victory to capture the gold.
As expected, Lima will be one of the 10 participants in the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. The tournament will begin on Sept. 29 as part of Bellator’s debut on DAZN. Brackets have not been revealed.
Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, Lima said a title rematch would’ve been preferred:
“The tournament is good – it’s big. They’re doing a big thing with this tournament. But what I wanted is the title. What I wanted is to fight (Rory MacDonald) again. I just want to stay busy. Hopefully, the tournament doesn’t drag out as much. Doesn’t take too long to finish. But I just want to stay busy and get the belt back and fight Rory again.”
Lima has gone 8-2 in his last 10 outings. In that span he’s beaten the likes of Andrey Koreshkov, Paul Daley, Lorenz Larkin, and Ben Saunders just to name a few. Of those eight victories, six were finishes.
The participants in the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix have been set. MacDonald, Lima, Paul Daley, Lorenz Larkin, Michael Page, Andrey Koreshkov, Jon Fitch, Neiman Gracie, Ed Ruth, and Yaroslav Amosov will participate in the tournament.
Do you think Douglas Lima will emerge as the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix winner?
