Rory MacDonald Is Looking Forward To Having Blood On His Face At UFC 189
Although his long-awaited title shot against welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in the co-main event of UFC 189 from Las Vegas may be getting overshadowed by the massive amount of hype surrounding the thrown-together interim featherweight championship main event of Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes, ‘The Red King’s’ arrival as the heir apparent of the 170-pound throne is still an adventure many years in the making.
So that makes it all the more fitting that his rematch with Lawler will carry an extra-added bit of drama in the form of the undisputed UFC championship. The current flagship member of Montreal’s TriStar Gym, MacDonald nearly earned his initial title shot when he lost a close split decision to Lawler back at UFC 167 in November 2013.
That defeat capped off a pair of lackluster efforts from MacDonald coupled with his atrocious decision victory over Jake Ellenberger in the main event of UFC on FOX 8.
Heading into a second chance against ‘Ruthless,’ MacDonald is the first to admit that his head wasn’t in the right place and he wasn’t motivated enough to reach the pinnacle of the sport in 2013.
Speaking with MMAjunkie, MacDonald said his skills have evolved since then, and his focus is now in the right place:
“My skills come a long way; my focus has changed since that fight and I’m just a little more determined to get in there and actually fight,” MacDonald said. “I don’t think I was focused on the actual fighting. I was a little distracted, a little less motivated to actually do martial arts at that point in my life.”
As for the first fight, MacDonald insists that not only his head, but also his heart wasn’t in it, yet he still kept it close. Now he’s got a whole new arsenal of tricks, moves which he promises will become apparent in nine days’ time:
“It was a close fight. Technical. My heart wasn’t in it and I just wasn’t there. That’s how I felt anyway. … I have a lot more techniques (now). I have a lot more skills to show in this fight than what we had last time. I’ll be better prepared mentally and physically. That’s going to show itself.”
So while his motivation may have waned two years back, it’s definitely back. That theory is only proved by MacDonald’s willingness to get back into the cage and feel the blood of battle:
“The difference is this time I want to fight; I’m looking forward to being in there and having the blood on my face and being in the heat of battle,” MacDonald said. “I don’t think he’s as dynamic in his skills than me, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a hard fight.”
MacDonald appears to be in a totally different place right now, one where his considerable skills are finally meeting his mental preparedness. Will that translate to a win over the surging Lawler on July 11?
Photo Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
