MacDonald likely to test free agency

Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler had one of the greatest fights in UFC history at UFC 189 onJ uly 11, 2015. MacDonald hasn’t fought since. In a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, the fighter said he has been in an extended and thus far failed negotiation with the UFC. His current UFC contract ends after he fights Stephen Thompson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 on June 18.

The fighter said with some regret that if there is no deal in place by then, he will test free agency. MacDonald fought his face off vs. Lawler, for a disclosed purse of $59,000; five fighters made more than he did. While he earned a $50,000 performance bonus, and doubtless more, the experience galvanized him.

“The experience itself, the fight was great. I loved it. It was a great thing for me and my martial arts career,” said MacDonald, as transcribed by Shaun Al-Shatti for MMA Fighting. “But, you know, a performance like that and everything I did leading up to it in my career with the UFC, I feel like I should be left a little bit more financially stable. I still make good money, but I still feel that I was worth more. That I brought more to the table than what I really got.

“So I just have to really fight for what is right, on the business side now. And I guess getting to that point, to the world title and stuff, after a hard fight like that, it just opened my eyes to it. Okay, now it’s time to get a little more business savvy rather than just do whatever just to get to the big fight.”

“I want to make the most money I can. I want to get paid for what I bring to the table. I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to the top, to the world title. I really sacrificed, and I took a lot of chances. I did a lot of favors, I felt like, for the UFC and I don’t think it got returned. So now it’s all about making money, and whoever wants to pay me the most is where I’ll go.”

“We’d been in negotiations with my new contract since my last fight, but they’d offered me to fight Hector next, so I said definitely, let’s do it. So I think they booked me for the last London card there, and I was like, no problem, let’s get it. Right about when I was going to start training camp, they said, ‘okay, we don’t feel that you’re ready because you haven’t started sparring yet.’ But I never told them that I was not ready or I wasn’t healthy with my nose or whatever. Like, they just asked me if I had started sparring. I said no, I was going to wait until training camp started to get back into it. And they were like, ‘okay, we’re to postpone it until the Australia card.’

“It was like, well, I want to fight in London. I don’t want to be flying that far to go fight this guy. So I was like, I’ll tell you what, I’ll fight in Australia, but give me my new contract. They apparently weren’t willing to do that because the next thing that happened was they booked [Lombard] with Neil Magny.

“I’m not fighting over there for $50,000. I’ll fight in London or somewhere a little closer, or in North America, but that’s a longass way to make a little money.”

“I’d rather not go through it (free agency). I mean, I’d rather just agree on something with the UFC and move forward. But we’ll see what happens. I’m very willing to do it though, if that means making more money.

“My gut tells me… I don’t know. I don’t even know any more. I’m just going to do what I have to do, what I can control. I’m going to go in there and try to have the best performance of my life, and then my job is done.”

MacDonald’s desire not to travel too far came true. UFC Fight Night 89 takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. What happens after that is up in the air.