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NEW YORK – Rory MacDonald said that Bellator's ideal chronology for the welterweight grand prix final with Douglas Lima is not the one that suits him.
After two competitions in less than two months, MacDonald (21-5-1 MMA, 3-1-1 BMMA), who beat Neiman Gracie (9-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) unanimously, Friday evening. The star of the Bellator 222 to defend his welterweight title, said that he needed a break before confronting Lima (31-7 MMA, 13-3 BMMA).
Bellator President Scott Coker said after the fight that he was aiming for the tournament final in September, but MacDonald said it would not happen.
"It's unrealistic for me," MacDonald told MMA Junkie at the Bellator 222 press conference after the fight. "I would like to be able to achieve it. I had the feeling that they would like it, but it's just not possible with what's happening in my life right now. I need to take some time to heal from these fights, from these training camps, so that I can be ready for a guy like Douglas. "
In addition to a few persistent injuries following consecutive bouts in the space of seven weeks, MacDonald said he and his wife were expecting the birth of their second child in August. They will then need some time to adjust before MacDonald can refocus.
"Doing this while having a new child seems to be a bit too stressful and organizational, and it's too fast," said MacDonald. "It's bouncing too much for me against a competitor like Douglas."
For MacDonald, a more reasonable date for his rematch against Lima, for whom he won the 170-pound title in a grueling five-round bout against Bellator 192 in January 2018, would be November or December, he said.
This is a frustrating development for the Lima team, who told MMA Junkie that Bellator's proposed schedule was reasonable.
"Douglas will be very disappointed if Rory does not fight in September," said Lima manager Brian Butler. "He wants revenge as badly as he wants to win this tournament. Rory can take four weeks to rest and still have an eight week camp. We must finish this.
It remains to be seen if Bellator can persuade MacDonald to change his position. One thing is certain though: Lima will be the next opponent of the Canadian title holder.
The stake will be huge when MacDonald and Lima will be hired to fight. Not only is the belt up for grabs, but a $ 1 million prize will also be awarded to the winner. MacDonald said he wanted to be fully prepared for this moment because after being out of the cage for the first time, he did not want to ask questions during the rematch.
"Let's hope a lot less shins (in revenge)," said MacDonald. "That's what I think. I want to go there and I want to finish it. It's been a while, it seems, since I arrived and I'll try to bring it to him. "
For full coverage of Bellator 222, see the MMA Events section of the site.
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