Things are starting to get interesting
Rory Macdonald has been a martial artist’s martial artist for a long time. Starting at the tender age of 14, he’s been a true student of the sport. Not a man of many words, he’s been known as the “axe murder” as his cool and calm demeanor masks a history of violence, and in his case an extremely skilled violence. But in the error of Conor Mcgregor, even the most humble must speak out to get their seat at the table. In a recent interview on the MMA Hour, Macdonald discuss the end of his contract and cementing his financial future.
“I want to make the most money I can. I want to get paid for what I bring to table.” I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to the world title, I really sacrificed. I took a lot of chances, and I did a lot a favors for the UFC, and I don’t think it got returned. Now, it’s all about making money. So whoever wants to pay me the most, I’ll go.” https://youtu.be/e6b3EkzBIe4
Rory Macdonald is at the end of a six fight contract, with his last fight set against fellow canadian and lightweight superstar Steven “wonderboy” Thompson, at UFC Fight Night in Ottawa. With contract negotiations virtually at a standstill and Bellator willing to roll out the red carpet for relevant (Ben Henderson) and not so relevant (Kimbo Slice) fighters, things could get interesting in the free agency market.
“We told them for the longest time, ‘If you guys don’t want to negotiate anymore, I’m willing to fight out the contract.’ I wasn’t trying to hold it up. I told them to either send a fight contract over or we get a new one going. I was always up for just fighting out the contract — I was good both ways.”
The above statements might sound like Rory MacDonald isn’t happy with the establishment but that wouldn’t be exactly true. Rory says there were no hard words “it’s business”, he made an offer and they refused. A new contract has yet to negotiated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-0KgeQTxoQ
“It’s not like we got into an argument or anything. It’s just business, that’s all it is.” MacDonald said. “My relationship with them is good, it’s healthy. I plan on promoting this fight and putting on a good show for them and honoring this contract. I have nothing bad about them to say. I’m disappointed they don’t agree on my value. “We weren’t too far apart when it really came down to it. But I felt that my offer was fair and I was going to stand my ground for what I feel like I was worth and what I brought to the table. They didn’t see it like that, and that’s okay. I’ll just try to make a dominant performance and really show my worth out there in my next fight and maybe after that we’ll come to a new agreement.”
While it would be a travesty for any fight fan to see Rory go, the addition to the (assumed) Bellator staff would be a good thing. With Dana White showing his a#* and acting like a true dictator, the competition between the two companies would make things fair and give fighters a voice. The more relevant fighters they can attain, the more up and coming fighters will see the company as a legit place to showcase their skills. Here’s to hoping.
