Rory MacDonald fought in one of the most celebrated title fights in UFC history and lost. What happened next, he says, made him rethink his whole career. In this short clip from his 2017 London Real interview, the Canadian welterweight explains why money was the reason he decided to test free agency and talk to Bellator.
It is a frank, two-minute look at the business side of mixed martial arts, from a fighter who was at the top of the sport when he made the call.
▶ Watch the full episode: Rory MacDonald – The Red King’s Journey Through The MMA Realm And Beyond
From Wonderboy to a London headline spot
Brian Rose asks MacDonald to walk through an eventful year: from his fight with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to headlining a card in London. MacDonald says that even before the Thompson fight was booked, he already knew he would test free agency, and that he would be talking to Bellator.
When Brian asks what drove that decision, the answer is one word: financial.
The Lawler fight and the offer that followed
MacDonald’s turning point was his title fight with Robbie Lawler. He made it all the way to a championship bout and lost, in a fight that, as Brian notes, many people called the fight of the year. Afterwards, he looked at his pay and at the offer he received, and did not like what he saw.
“At this rate I’m just going to be broke at the end of my career,” he remembers thinking. Other people, he says, were making a lot of money from his fights, and the numbers simply did not add up for him.
Brian sums it up: after one of the most memorable fights of the year, the way the promotion valued him made him decide to look around. MacDonald agrees, saying the original offer left him thinking, in effect, so that is what I’m worth. It “lit a fire under my ass,” he says, to get serious about his future.
Looking back on Lawler
Asked how he sees the Lawler fight now, around 14 months later, MacDonald says he has come a long way since. He wishes he had fought a little differently, but he was caught up in the moment and in there “going for the kill”.
Why it matters
Fighter pay has long been one of the most debated issues in MMA. Fighters take serious physical risks over short careers, and many have spoken about feeling undervalued compared with the money their fights generate. MacDonald’s account is notable because it comes from a fighter who had just been part of a widely praised title fight, and who chose to act on his frustration by moving promotions.
What to take from it
The lesson goes beyond fighting. MacDonald looked honestly at what he was being paid, compared it with the value he was creating, and decided to plan for life after his career instead of hoping it would work out. Knowing your worth, and being willing to test it, is part of taking your career seriously.
Who is Rory MacDonald?
Rory MacDonald is a Canadian mixed martial artist from British Columbia, nicknamed “The Red King”. He began fighting professionally as a teenager, trained at Tristar Gym in Montreal, and became one of the UFC’s leading welterweights before moving to Bellator.
This clip comes from his 2017 London Real interview, The Red King’s Journey Through The MMA Realm And Beyond, in which he talks with Brian Rose about his journey through mixed martial arts. You can also watch his Success Secrets.
More on London Real
Transcript
Transcript: Rory MacDonald – Why He Left The UFC: “I’m Just Going To Be Broke”
0:00 Brian Rose: Could you walk us through the last year? Because you’ve had a pretty interesting year, from Wonderboy Thompson to now headlining a card in London. What have been the ups, the downs, and the thought process that brought you here?
0:15 Rory MacDonald: Yeah. Even before the Thompson fight was set, I knew I was going to test free agency. So I knew I would be talking with Bellator, and I was interested to see where that would go.
0:30 Brian Rose: What was that?
0:32 Rory MacDonald: Financial. After the title fight with Robbie, getting all the way there, not winning the fight, and still seeing my pay and what the offer was after that, it just made me think: man, at this rate I’m just going to be broke at the end of my career. People are making a lot of money off my fights. It just doesn’t add up.
1:02 Brian Rose: And that Robbie Lawler fight was called Fight of the Year by a lot of people. You were fighting for the title, like you said. It was a loss, but it was an incredible fight. But you’re saying after that, the way they showed you how much you were valued, you were like: I’m going to look around.
1:18 Rory MacDonald: Yeah. Especially with what I was offered originally. It was kind of like: really? OK, that’s what I’m worth. So it lit a fire under my ass, I guess, to get serious about this.
1:32 Brian Rose: And when you look back on that Lawler fight, it’s like 14 months ago. Do you have any thoughts on it?
1:37 Rory MacDonald: Yeah, I’ve come a long way since then. I wish I had fought a little differently. But I was in the heat of the moment, and I was in there going for the kill.
