R. MacDonald announced his retirement from MMA (Photo: Disclosure/PFL)
Canadian Rory McDonald announced, last Sunday (14), his retirement from professional MMA. At 33 years old, the welterweight (up to 77 kg) chose to hang up his gloves after being knocked out by Dilano Taylor in the PFL semi-final, last Saturday (13), in Cardiff, Wales.
The announcement of the retirement of Rory McDonald it had already been anticipated by Olivia, the fighter's wife, shortly after the Canadian's defeat.
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“A lot of emotions tonight. I ask that you be kind with your words. It was a wonderful journey watching this man fight. Rory has hung up the gloves and is very much at peace with that. To new beginnings. Thank you”, wrote the Canadian’s wife.
Pupil of Canadian legend Georges St-Pierre, Rory McDonald He debuted in the UFC at the age of 20 and quickly established himself as one of the best and most exciting welterweights on the planet. The “Red King”’s time in Ultimate is marked mainly by the title fight against Robbie Lawler, in 2015, in which he was defeated in a fight considered to this day one of the best in the history of the sport.
After six years fighting in Ultimate, Rory McDonald left the organization and signed with Bellator. In the new organization, he became welterweight champion and even challenged for the middleweight title (up to 83,9 kg), but ended up defeated by Gegard Mousasi.
After two years competing in the circular cage, the Canadian was hired by the PFL, where he played in two seasons, being eliminated in the semifinals in both. Rory McDonald bids farewell to professional MMA with a record of 23 wins, ten losses and one draw.
Check out Rory MacDonald's retirement announcement in full:
“It’s time to hang up the gloves for good. I am very grateful to this sport and to each person I have met along the way. I started this sport when I was 14 and I still remember my first day, when I already knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My passion for martial arts and becoming a professional MMA fighter gave me hope and a path to a better life! I am very grateful to God for putting that Toshido MMA gym in Kelowna in my path. This really changed the direction of my life and saved me! What an adventure this career was, 17 years as a professional fighter. It all happened so fast! Many painful training sessions that are engraved in my being, trips to all parts of the planet and meetings with so many people. I learned so much about myself throughout my career, not all of it was good. I've made a lot of mistakes along the way, but at 33 I'm a better man because of these mistakes, which I'm so grateful to have grown up from. I want to thank all my fans, who supported me so much. I never got into the sport for fame or recognition and it was difficult to adjust my attention to that, but I am truly grateful for the kindness they treated me with! Thank you to all my friends and family who helped me live my dream of fighting at the highest level. Thank you for believing in me and caring so much, you were very generous and I love you all. Thank you to the UFC, Bellator and PFL for the opportunity to fight on a global level and to the teams from these organizations. You were great people to deal with and work with. Sorry for the bad mood. Thank you to my coaches, training partners and managers!”
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