MacDonald: God answered my prayers

Bellator MMA welterweight champion has an insane year ahead. On September 29 he superfights Bellator middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi. And then he enters Bellator’s Welterweight Grand Prix, vs. Jon Fitch. A win there moves him forward in a pool of the best of the promotion’s best division.

I love what I do, said MacDonald to Shaun Al-Shatti for MMA Fighting. I also like to get paid, more on the regular. My last few years in the sport have been like one fight a year and that’s been frustrating. … The way this year is stacking up, it’s going to be the biggest year of my career, so everything’s coming together. God answered my prayers and I’m so excited for what’s going to happen over the tournament and this middleweight championship. It’s a dream come true. Everything’s coming together. It’s exactly what I was hoping for in my transition to Bellator.”

MacDonald knows every solid pound he puts on for Mousasi has to be lost for Fitch.

Between my last fight and this training camp, I tried to put some size on with just eating and doing a lot more powerlifting,” he said. “But I’m walking around 195 and I still am going to trim down even more as the fight gets closer. But I’m really very close to the weight. … I’m not forcing myself to put weight on, I’m just being myself. I’m just eating how I feel and I’m training hard. Wherever my weight’s at, it’s at.”

MacDonald also expressed respect for his opponent.

It seems like he has a very relaxed mind frame, so he can stay pretty relaxed, he doesn’t get too nervous and tire himself up with bad nerves,” said MacDonald. “His skill set is, I think, his biggest thing. He’s good everywhere, he’s dangerous everywhere … but he definitely will be the biggest guy [I’ve fought]. I’m embracing that. I think I’d like to prove to people that my skills can carry me through even against bigger, skilled guys.