Former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald is set to challenge for the Bellator MMA welterweight belt on January 20th in Los Angeles, California. Lance Pugmire of the LA Times confirmed that MacDonald will take on champion Douglas Lima in a major “tentpole” event, with tickets on sale September 29th.
“When I signed with Bellator, I made it clear I wanted to take over — multiple weight classes and multiple championships,” MacDonald said in a prepared statement. “Douglas Lima and his title are first on the list before I move onto the next.”
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“I haven’t been this healthy in a long time and Rory is going to be just another win on my record,” Lima said in the prepared statement.
Lima (29-6) has looked superb in his last three fights. Having lost his Bellator title to Andrey Koreshkov in 2015, the Brazilian defeated Paul Daley last July, then viciously knocked out Koreshkov in the rematch to recapture his belt. In his last outing, Lima won a unanimous decision over Lorenz Larkin at the Bellator: NYC pay-per-view in Madison Square Garden.
MacDonald (19-4) did not re-sign with the UFC in free agency, instead opting to join Bellator MMA late last summer. The 29-year-old Canadian debuted in May, dominating and then choking out Paul Daley at Bellator 179 in London. His victory not only earned him a title shot, but it ended a run of nearly three years without a win, having lost to Robbie Lawler in 2015 and then Stephen Thompson in 2016.
This is certainly one of the highest level main events Bellator MMA has ever put together, and I imagine fans are very much looking forward to this battle of two of the best welterweights in the sport.