MacDonald: My contract expires after fight vs. Lima
Welterweight champion Rory MacDonald's future appears unclear following his rematch against Douglas Lima on Saturday at Bellator 232.
"My contract with Bellator expires after this fight, so who knows (what's next)?" MacDonald told theScore. "But I do know it's going to be awesome. Wherever the Lord leads me, I know it's going to be for the better."
MacDonald (21-5-1) signed with the promotion in August 2016 following five years with the UFC. The 30-year-old captured the welterweight title when he defeated Lima by unanimous decision at Bellator 192 in January 2018.
Following a one-sided loss to Gegard Mousasi in the middleweight division at Bellator 206, MacDonald put on an underwhelming performance against Jon Fitch at Bellator 220, which resulted in a draw. Postfight, MacDonald attributed his subpar performance to a growing lack of killer instinct.
"It's hard to pull the trigger ... I don't have that killer inside." MacDonald said, per DAZN. "I don't know, it's really hard to explain. I hesitate a little bit now."
He added: "God has really called me the last little while. He’s changed my spirit, changed my heart. It takes a certain spirit to put a man through pain. I just don't know if I have the same drive to hurt people anymore."
Bellator 232 takes place Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Watch our full interview with MacDonald as part of our "Road to Bellator 232" feature and subscribe to theScoreMMA channel here.