MacDonald: There’s going to be another body in the grave

Douglas Lima vs. Lorenz Larkin was a test of the relative skill level in the UFC vs. Bellator.

The champion Lima was coming off a decision win over Paul Daley, followed by a first round crushing of Andrey Koreshkov to regain his Bellator title. Larkin is coming off a split decision over Jorge Masvidal, followed by a first round crushing of Neil Magny, who had been on a three-fight win streak. Masvidal is ranked #4 in the UFC, and Magny #5. So could a top UFC fighter come in and easily defeat Bellator’s champ?

No – Lima won a decision over Larkin. As Scott Coker proved definitively when the UFC folded in Strikeforce, he and matchmaker Rich Chou know how to find and nurture talent.

And waiting in the wings at Bellator is Rory MacDonald, like Larkin a UFC transplant. The Red King was part of the broadcast team, and watched the fight hungrily. And that’s the thing about MacDonald, he looks a little like he might eat a fighter for dinner, not metaphorically, but actually.

I was really underwhelmed, said MacDonald on the broadcast, as transcribed byMarc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. I was expecting a good fight. I had a lot of excitement going into this fight. Larkin is an excellent fighter. If these guys think they’re keeping a belt fighting like that against me, it’s not gonna happen. I’m gonna take these guys out. They’re just gonna be another body in the grave.

This is the next chapter in my career. I’m not playing games anymore. I’m coming forward, I’m doing my style now. I’m not playing games. I’m not point fighting anymore. I’m there to take you out. I’m hunting you down, and I’m gonna bury you and that’s it.

MacDonald means that metaphorically not actually, hopefully…