Title fight tonight for Kelowna’s MacDonald
Toshido MMA product faces Lima for Bellator’s welterweight belt in L.A.
In a sport traditionally synonymous with beer and motorcycle sponsors, Canadian welterweight Rory MacDonald is adding some cutting-edge sizzle.
The 28-year-old mixed martial artist from Kelowna will be a walking billboard for cryptocurrency’s Dash Network when he enters the cage tonight at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., to challenge 170-pound champion Douglas Lima (29-6) at Bellator 192.
MacDonald, who trains between Montreal and Toshido MMA in Kelowna, has been using and investing in cryptocurrency — digital or virtual currency — since 2014 after being turned onto it by coach Firas Zahabi.
“This will be hopefully the first of many sponsorships with Dash and me,” MacDonald said in a recent conference call. “It’s not just for me, but it’s going to be a big opportunity for other fighters and even Bellator itself . . . there’s tons of fighters interested in it,” he added.
Pairing up with Dash is one of the reasons MacDonald left the UFC when his contract expired. The UFC, the sport’s largest organization, is far more restrictive when it comes to fighter sponsorships. Fighters have to wear Reebok gear in the cage and share sponsorship dollars according to their ranking.
“It’s been a huge benefit to get sponsors,” MacDonald said of the move to Bellator. “You get to show a bit of personality also, with not having to wear a uniform.”
MacDonald (19-4) won his Bellator debut in May 2017 when he submitted England’s Paul Daly in the second round.
Prior to that, MacDonald had gone 9-4 in the UFC, losing via fifth-round TKO to thenwelterweight champion Robbie Lawler in a bloody battle at UFC 189 in May 2015.
MacDonald followed that with a decision loss to Stephen Thompson in June 2016 before leaving for Bellator.
Lima defeated Rick Hawn at Bellator 117 in April 2014 to win the vacant welterweight title, only to lose it in his first title defence against Russian Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 140 in July 2015. The American-based Brazilian knocked out Koreshkov in their rematch at Bellator 164 in November 2016 to regain the title.
The 30-year-old Lima has since defended his crown, earning a decision win over Lorenz Larkin last June.
“His biggest strength is his power. He can hit hard from pretty much anywhere,” MacDonald said. “But I fought a lot of power hitters before and been very successful against those guys, so I’m not too stressed about it.”
Tyron Woodley is the reigning UFC welterweight champion.
MacDonald is the last fighter to beat Woodley, via unanimous decision at UFC 174 in June 2014.
“I already feel like I’m the No. 1 in the world,” said MacDonald. “It’s just getting it down now. We’ll find out (tonight) what Douglas is made of. But in my head, I’m already No. 1.”
“I plan on going in there being aggressive and taking him out early,” he added.
Tonight’s card also features the first instalment of Bellator’s heavyweight Grand Prix with Quinton (Rampage) Jackson (37-12) taking on Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) in a matchup of former UFC stars.
Jackson-Sonnen will be the main event with MacDonald-Lima second on the card, which will be shown on the new Paramount Network, formerly Spike TV.
The other participants in the Grand Prix are Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Muhammed (King Mo) Lawal, Fedor Emelianenko, Matt Mitrione and Bellator light-heavyweight champion Ryan Bader.
The tournament bracket has Emelianenko versus Mir, Mitrione versus Nelson and Bader versus Lawal on future cards.
Sonnen and Jackson are being showcased in the main event after MacDonald takes on Lima for the title. MacDonald had thought he was in the main event until last week.
“I was disappointed when I heard about it,” MacDonald admitted. “I was bummed out. It didn’t affect my sponsorships, but I felt upset. I just had to put it out of my mind.”