Rory MacDonald leaves UFC and signs contract with Bellator

Rory (photo) said goodbye to the UFC to sign with Bellator. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFc

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The UFC welterweight category has lost an important name. Rory McDonald, former challenger for the belt in the 77 kg division, left the main MMA organization on the planet and signed a contract with Bellator.

The information was first released by the North American website “FloSports”. MacDonald, long coveted by Bellator, received a financially superior offer than what he had in the UFC. Dana White's organization, on the other hand, refused to match the values, which paved the way for the Canadian's departure.

As a result, the UFC removed MacDonald from its official rankings this Wednesday (24). The Canadian occupied third place in the welterweight division, just behind Robbie Lawler e Stephen Thompson – who, coincidentally, defeated him in his last two fights.

At 27 years old, MacDonald had been an Ultimate athlete since 2010. In the organization, he beat names like Nate diaz, B.J. Penn, Demian Maia and the current weight champion, Tyron woodley. At Bellator, the Canadian will face names like Douglas lima, Paul Daley, Josh koscheck e Andrei Koreshkov, owner of the belt.