Rory MacDonald’s coach, Firas Zahabi, doesn’t believe his fighter is done competing.
MacDonald defended his Bellator welterweight title against Jon Fitch this past Saturday night (April 27). This was also an opening round bout in the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix. The fight went the distance and was ruled a majority draw. MacDonald will move on to the semifinals on June 14 as he retained his title.
Zahabi Doubts MacDonald Is Done Fighting
MacDonald told John McCarthy after the outing that he doesn’t have the killer instinct that he once had. During an appearance on ESPN‘s Ariel Helwani MMA Show, Zahabi explained why he feels MacDonald will keep pushing forward:
“A lot of fighters go through these kind of things. He’s not the first guy to see both sides of fighting — the good part, the darker part — and then kind of come to these realizations. Right after a fight, you’re so full of emotions. The pendulum might swing the other way. He might want to fight and continue and that’s what I think will happen. I really feel like he has a lot of fight left in him … he’s a natural-born fighter. I think he’s going to continue on his journey.”
MacDonald will need clearance from a physician if he expects to face Neiman Gracie in June. Otherwise, he’ll have to sit for 180 days as revealed on the list of Bellator 220 medical suspensions.
