Well, that didn’t take long! Just a week after obtaining his release from the UFC, top bantamweight and former UFC contender Michael McDonald has signed on with Bellator MMA. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, and later confirmed via the promotion.
Let's go! Welcome to #BellatorNation Michael @MaydayMcDonald!! https://t.co/G6ueQ9xH8w
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 24, 2017
McDonald (17-4) most recently suffered a KO loss to John Lineker in July of last year. That would turn out to be his final UFC bout. Prior to that, he had returned to the promotion after over a year off, submitting Masanori Kanehara at UFC 195. “Mayday” faced Renan Barao back in 2013 for the UFC interim bantamweight title, but was submitted in the fourth round. Still just 26 years old, the fighter is only now hitting his prime.
However, earlier this year, McDonald requested his release from the UFC, something the company granted earlier this month. In leaving, McDonald slammed the UFC as dishonest, stating “The UFC was dishonest in the way they tried to do business with me and its resulted in a complete waste of my time. I want to feel like my employer isn’t out trying to cut my head off.”
For Bellator, the signing marks the third big free agent landed in a matter of days, following former UFC stars Ryan Bader and Lorenz Larkin. No date has been announced for McDonald’s debut as of yet.
