Mcdonald ended his six-year association with the UFC and now has become a free agent. Tonight, Rory will make his Bellator MMA debut facing Paul Daley in one of the biggest additions the promotion has ever made to date. The Canadian has serious intentions on winning both the welterweight and middleweight championships.

But first, he has to get past a very vicious fighter. After knocking out Brennan Ward with a devastating knee to the face at Bellator 170, the British assailant asked for the former UFC title contender. Rory is entering Bellator MMA with two losses against top contenders, UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and Stephen Thompson.

At the same time, McDonald is regarded one of best welterweights in the world. He has victories over current UFC champion Tyron Woodley and now No. 1 contender, Demian Maia. Bellator 179 headlines Rory MacDonald versus Paul Daley, MMA Junkie reported. It's scheduled to take place Friday, May 19, 2017, at the SSE Arena in London, England. It will air at 9 PM ET/PT on Spike TV.

Rory McDonald was born to do this

McDonald is starting fresh, feels good, and has prepared very well for his first fight at Bellator MMA. For this camp, he went back to his roots in British Columbia and is training under former head coach Davis Lea. He likes that the team stays current with the latest techniques. McDonald has been recovering from a badly broken nose suffered in the dramatic war against Robbie Lawler at UFC 189.

Fans and experts wonder if Rory is still the same after collapsing to the canvas totally defeated. His coaches are convinced that the broken nose is not an issue -- he’s a warrior, and fighting is in his blood, they said. MacDonald was leading 39-37 on all three scorecards, but Lawler finished strong and took the whole fight at the end with his conditioning.

Rory has always been mentally strong and he looks confident coming into this fight.

Paul is looking to surprise McDonald

Tonight is a huge opportunity for Daley, as Rory is a big name in the MMA world, and Paul has every intention of knocking out the UFC to Bellator newbie.

Also, he's determined on not losing in his hometown. The 34-year-old is well rounded, a good wrestler, and with a lot of power -- he has 29 career knockouts. However, near retirement age, Daley desperately needs to win. The match against Rory McDonald will probably be the biggest in his life.

Rory promised he's going to put on a good show for the fans in London. Another incentive: whoever comes out on top will meet the winner of the Bellator 180 fight between welterweight champion Douglas Lima and Lorenz Larkin.
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