Rory MacDonald 'right now' plans to face Neiman Gracie in grand prix semis, but future uncertain
Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald's plan for right now is to finish what he started in the grand prix.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald doesn’t know what his long-term future holds in the sport.
But in the short term, his plan for right now is to finish what he started.
“I can’t really give a definitive answer (about my future),” MacDonald (20-5-1 MMA, 2-1-1 BMMA) said after advancing to the welterweight grand prix semifinals with a controversial draw against Jon Fitch (31-7-2 MMA, 1-0-1 BMMA) at Saturday’s Bellator 220 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. “It’s an hour after the experience. But I’m going to sit back, I’m going to pray, and I’m going to see what God has in store for me, see what doors open up. But my plans right now are to go to the next stage and compete against Neiman (Gracie).”
MacDonald retained his title and advanced in the tournament due to rules that require a champion to move on in the event of a draw; a non-title bout would have forced judges to file ballots to determine the winner based on overall performance, similar to judging in the now-defunct PRIDE.
A majority draw with Fitch wasn’t well-received by the crowd, which hoped to see the hometown favorite and onetime UFC title challenger win. MacDonald, himself, seemed shaken by the result and revealed he didn’t “have that killer inside” and didn’t know if he had “that same drive to hurt people anymore.”
The feeling wasn’t entirely new to MacDonald; a loss to middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi brought him in touch with it. On the other hand, he said there was something new about questioning his desire to compete.
“I was expressing what I felt in my heart, what I was going through,” he said. “I was trying to be honest.”
In the 10 weeks prior to the fight, MacDonald said he’d made a more intense connection to God than ever before. Was that responsible for his current uncertainty?
“I think it has something to do with it, because I do believe God has another chapter in my life,” he told MMA Junkie. “I don’t feel like I’m just going to be a fighter and that’s it. I feel like as I move forward and closer to God, he’s got something else in store for me, and that’s really exciting for me, because I can feel it in my heart.”
MacDonald’s life path wasn’t the only thing that brought uncertainty – he was unsure of whether he’d actually keep the belt. He thought he’d won three of five rounds against Fitch. When they read the scores, however, he thought he could still lose.
“When it’s a judge’s decision to call the fight, you never know,” he said. “You can win five rounds and lose a judges’ decision.”
In the near term, MacDonald will talk with his team and heal up from a hard fight. No major injuries seemed to affect him, and a June timeframe didn’t present any issues. The only possible roadblock is the question he faces – and there are not going to be any easy answers.
“There is another door opening on the horizon,” he said. “When that is and what it is, I don’t know. But we’ll see.”
To hear more from MacDonald, check out the video above.
For more on Bellator 220, check out the MMA Events section of the site.