UFC Exec ‘Encourages’ Rory MacDonald To Test Free Agency
The last time we saw Rory MacDonald in the Octagon was last July at UFC 189 when he took on champion Robbie Lawler in a brutal five round war that saw the “Red King” suffer a devastating loss early on in the final frame.
Months after the bout, MacDonald told Ariel Helwani that he had one fight left on his UFC contract, and that he planned to test free agency after fighting out his deal, indicating that he was in search of the most money he could earn. Well, that fight will take place tomorrow night (June 18, 2016) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 89 as MacDonald takes on surging No. 2-ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
With a win, MacDonald could very well be right in line for another shot at divisional supremacy, and it’s unclear how the outcome of tomorrow’s clash will affect the “Red King’s” free agency aspirations.
Free agency has become a more common trend in the last year, and the UFC hasn’t seemed too fond of it, although Tom Wright, Executive VP and General Manager of UFC Operations in Canada recently told MMAJunkie that he ‘encourages’ MacDonald to test free agency:
“I think we’re all about making sure we’ve got as many great Rory MacDonald’s in every part of the world because clearly he’s a great fighter, he’s a great competitor, he’s a great representative of our sport,” Wright said. “But in the end, it’s Rory’s decision, and we encourage him to go into the open market. That’s something he’s certainly entitled to do, and we would encourage him to do so.”
“In the end we’re just looking forward to sitting down with him after and having a good conversation,” Wright said. “He wants to put on a big performance and then fight for the UFC championship belt. So, we’ll wait and see what happens. But what Rory does is up to him, and we’ll support whatever he decides.”
Could you really see the UFC letting a young, established star like MacDonald walk away?
