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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Rory MacDonald, who had just retained his Bellator featherweight title and was drawn by Jon Fitch, seemed to question his career in the fights shortly after the bout ended.
After the show, MacDonald still did not feel like he had all the answers. But he said he was expecting to continue in the eight-man tournament and that he would defend his title against Neiman Gracie on June 14 at Madison Square Garden.
In the cage, after the decision, which was very unpopular, Fitch fighting in his hometown and dominating the fifth round in what appeared to be a close fight, it seemed like MacDonald (21-6) was questioning on his future in sport.
"It's hard to pull the trigger," he said. "I do not have that killer instinct. It's hard to explain.
"It takes a certain spirit to come here and make a man suffer, and I do not know if I have the same desire to hurt people."
A few hours later, MacDonald clarified his statement by stating, "I was expressing how I felt in my heart what I was going through, trying to be honest."
While some thought his statement meant he should not be put back into a championship fight so quickly, he made it clear that he was not saying it.
"I'm going to sit down, pray and see what God has in store for me," he said. "My plans are to go to the next step and measure myself to Neiman."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," he said to the question of whether he would be ready and if he would take that next fight so soon after a quarter of a five. "I have a little cut. We must heal. The stitches should be in a week. A week after that, I should be back to normal. I have the elbow swollen, but it should go down pretty fast.
In the fight, Fitch clearly won rounds three and five. MacDonald clearly won the second round. The other two towers were close. Two of the three judges gave MacDonald the two tight rounds, but the three judges gave Fitch a third round 10-8, which means two judges had it as a draw 47-47. The third judge had it for Fitch, 48-46. The majority draw meant that the title remained with MacDonald. By virtue of that, he advanced in the tournament.
"I thought I had three laps versus two," MacDonald said. "When it's a judge's decision, you never know. You can win five rounds while losing a judge's decision. "
Scott Coker, CEO of Bellator, said that while it was not a championship fight and a draw, the judges knew in advance that the game was not a draw. with even cards, they should then pick a winner and that person would advance. Coker did not agree that if MacDonald was not ready for MSG, Fitch, who said he would be ready, would move in his place.
"He is very emotional, looking from the inside for the fight and the future," Coker said. "Listen, if he wants to fight, he will do it. We hope Rory will fight Neiman. If it changes, we'll let you know.
"It was a championship fight and the champion did not fight, that's why Rory is moving forward."
Nevertheless, MacDonald said that he had become much closer to God and that he thought he had something else in store for him.
"I think God has another chapter of my life," said MacDonald. "I do not think I'm just going to be a fighter. As I move forward and come closer to God, I think he has something for me and that I can feel it in my heart, as I keep getting closer to God, I feel it more and more. I feel another door open. I do not know what it is.
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