MacDonald: I’m a rough guy, like it when fights get tough
Rory MacDonald: “I’m gonna step back from that and focus on my strengths and apply them in my fights. And not give a $#!@ what everybody else’s strength is.”
Former UFC title challenger and current Bellator MMA welterweight Rory MacDonald appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and discussed his current approach to training. His devotion to the sport led to years of trying to diversify his game, perhaps not always for the best.
I’m gonna step back from that and focus on my strengths and apply them in my fights,” said MacDonald, as transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMAFighting. “And not give a s*** what everybody else’s strength is. I’m just gonna go in there and wreck people with what I know.
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.
MacDonald will be trying this old/new approach on Paul Daley. The Red King had arguably the most brutal fight in league history with Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 on July 11, 2015. He waited eleven months and on June 18, 2016, fought Stephen Thompson, losing a Unanimous Decision. A number of observers felt he had not fully recovered from the previous fight, particularly the very broken nose. He had planned to take a full year off before challenging for the Bellator belt.
That’s what I was pushing for, MacDonald said. It was looking like that.”
Now he is taking a fight with Daley, at Bellator, on May 19, 2017. That will be a break of eleven months and a day.
“It’s all about timing,” he said. “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.
[The broken nose] is really feeling like back to normal now, having how many months I’ve given it off. I felt like everything’s gonna be fine by end of May, so I took the fight.
I want to prove a point. Absolutely. I’m going there to prove a point, to show people what’s up and who I really am. I think they’re gonna see a big change and they’re gonna be happily surprised.
We’ll find out on May 19.