Whenever Rory MacDonald steps in to fight, it is almost always guaranteed that he will walk out of it afterwards with blood on his face. It is a reputation he has built for himself throughout the great majority of his UFC run.
The best example of MacDonald’s brand of violence was during his UFC 189 co-headliner title fight against then-welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. The two men exchanged blows through almost 25 minutes of action that led to Lawler cutting his lip in half and MacDonald breaking his nose. Lawler won via late fifth round TKO, and that contest ended up bagging the Fight of the Year honors for 2015.
As he begins his Bellator stint at Bellator 179 against Paul Daley, “The Red King” expects more of those kinds of fights, simply because it is his brand of combat.
“Who wouldn’t want a dominant performance? That’s what I’m shooting for,” MacDonald said during his most recent appearance on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting). “I’m fighting the best guys in the world. I would be a fool to think I wouldn’t leave with a little blood and a few scrapes here and there. You’ve gotta learn how to like that stuff. I’m a rough guy and I like it when fights get tough.”
“I’m gonna step back from that and focus on my strengths and apply them in my fights and not give a sh-t what everybody else’s strength is,” he continued. “I’m just gonna go in there and wreck people with what I know.”
Initially, MacDonald wanted an immediate title shot upon his Bellator debut. But eventually, he conceded to the fact that he will just have to wait it out until the right moment comes.
“That’s what I was pushing for. It was looking like that. But it’s all about timing. This just happened to fit properly. This is a No. 1 contender fight. It’s possible that my very next fight will be for the title.”
Bellator 179 takes place on May 19th at the Wembley Arena in London.
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