Rory MacDonald is set to make his first appearance in Bellator on Friday, taking on knock out artist Paul Daley and headlining the event at Bellator 179, which takes place in London.
But he’s been around the promotion for some time now, since joining last year. And he’s noticed the difference between the UFC and his new home, Bellator.
How the Canadian standout sees it, the difference between the UFC and Bellator is essentially the difference between a corporation and the little guy.
“I think Bellator gets it, they want to build a character around each and every guy on the roster,” MacDonald pointed out recently. “They want to build up the names and let people see the real sides of them and they can build that up. The UFC kind of has lost that, everyone is wearing the same thing, everybody is trying to be Conor McGregor, and it’s lost it’s feel a little bit.”
MacDonald claims that he feels more appreciated at Bellator, whereas at his old company, he felt as if he was part of an assembly line.
“[I’m] just more involved rather than just being another guy in the line, another number, another sheep,” MacDonald stated. “So, I just feel more respected, more attention to detail when it comes to the promotion of myself.”
MacDonald also thinks the move to Bellator had a ripple effect on his training as he prepares for his debut with the new promotion.
“It feels like chapter three of my career at this point, a big organization move, And just coming off the two losses that I’ve had and the changes I’ve made in my training, I’ve noticed a big difference in my mindset, my physical abilities, my martial art abilities, so I’m very excited to make my debut in Bellator and show the changes that I made over this layoff, and think it will excite people for the future fight.”
MacDonald isn’t trying to influence any fighters that are currently on the UFC roster or tell anyone how to conduct their business, but thinks as other fighters test free agency and explore other options after their contracts are up, they'll be more likely to sign with the company and as a result make better money.
“Everybody’s situation is getting worse there and increasingly people are getting more and more unhappy,” MacDonald added. “And seeing that there’s money to be made, just the way they’re treated in general. They’re not content with it, so, it’s got there’s a competitor in the marketplace and that’s just going to make everybody get better. More options for the fighters, everyone’s going to get more money and it’s going to be better for MMA the sport in general.”