UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Rory MacDonald didn’t come out on top at Bellator 232, but that didn’t prevent him from talking to the media after the card.
Former UFC title challenger MacDonald (21-6-1 MMA, 3-2-1 BMMA) lost an unanimous decision to longtime Bellator veteran Douglas Lima (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) in the evening’s main event.
A tough pill to swallow, MacDonald assessed his performance and dished on why he believes he lost to Lima. When he was in the cage, MacDonald thought he was ahead on the scorecards. If he had done a few things differently, MacDonald indicated things would have ended more favorably.
“Well, I felt I had good moments,” MacDonald said. “It was close every single round. What I feel I should have done is put the gas on a little more. I felt like when I had good moments, I backed off, let him recover and I just gave too much leeway. Instead of having that foot on the gas pedal a little earlier.
“I felt comfortable with where I was in the fight. I felt confident – maybe more confident than I should have been in the scoring. The rounds just got away from me. Every round was tight though. I’m not too down about it, just obviously wish I could have done a little more during the fight.”
Despite online jeers from some fans about newly enthused religious beliefs, MacDonald said he’ll continue to put his faith in God going forward. If it wasn’t for finding Christianity, MacDonald said trying times like his Bellator 232 loss would be much harder.
“I think they have a bad perspective on it,” MacDonald said of the criticism. “I feel like Jesus has made my life rich and changed my life around completely from a dark place to a place of joy (and) peace. Now I have purpose and fulfillment in my heart. So I just don’t think they are looking at the right perspective.
“Most times after a loss, I probably wouldn’t be talking with you. But, I’m blessed and I know God has good things in store for me. Losing one fight doesn’t change my faith or perspective on God. I know he has good plans for me and like my song says, I’m going to see a victory no matter what.”
The Bellator 232 headliner was the second meeting between Lima and MacDonald. The two squared off at Bellator 192 in January 2018. After five rounds, MacDonald was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
With the lifetime series tied one to one, MacDonald believes it’s inevitable the two welterweights will meet again in the near future. But first, MacDonald needs to re-up with Bellator, as he revealed his contract with the promotion has expired.
“It’s very likely (we rematch),” MacDonald said. “We had to close fights. He won one, I won one. It’s kind of inevitable that we’ll probably fight again… I wouldn’t say no. If they want to do it, they can do it. First I’ve got to re-sign. My contract expired. We’ve got to deal with that situation. Obviously if they want to give a title shot, sure.”
Bellator 232 took place Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Commentary: The first Democratic debate, night two