Scott Coker Comments On Rory MacDonald Possibly Missing Bellator 222
Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald will defend his title against Jon Fitch at Bellator 220.
MacDonald and Fitch’s bout takes place as part of the promotion’s Welterweight Grand Prix. The winner of the contest will advance to the semifinals against Neiman Gracie at Bellator 222 on June 14. However, that’s a quick turnaround for the MacDonald vs. Fitch winner, who fight on April 27.
Speaking at the Bellator NYC press conference this week, President Scott Coker was asked about the possibility of either MacDonald or Fitch being unable to medically compete so quickly. Here’s what he had to say:
“You’re right, I don’t want to think about that at this point,” Coker admitted. “In all fairness, we’ve been through this before. When I was working at K1 you had what they call Survivor Rule, so, if one of the fighters gets hurt and can’t advance, then the survivor would continue on in the tournament.
“But, you know, we’re gonna keep all of our options open. So, if one of the fighters can’t continue, then we’ll just deal with it at that time and we’ll make the best decision possible. In talking to both the athletes, they both wanted a quick turnaround. So this works into their favor as well, is what they’re telling me.”
MacDonald remains undefeated at welterweight under the Bellator banner. Unfortunately for “The Red King,” he failed to become a Bellator double champion in September against Gegard Mousasi. He was finished in the second round via TKO.
Now, MacDonald returns against Fitch at 170 pounds. The 41-year-old is currently on a five-fight win streak from fights in both Bellator and World Series Of Fighting (WSOF).
