Rory MacDonald can wear what he wants for his next fight and that comes as a massive relief to one of the greatest welterweights on the planet.
For his last two bouts, ‘The Red King’ has sported the Reebok apparel that all UFC fighters must wear during fight week events.
But, after entering free agency following his defeat to Stephen Thompson in June, MacDonald signed a contract with Bellator and he is thrilled with the added freedom.
Speaking about the difference in production between his current and former employers, MacDonald wasn’t shy in firing some shots in the direction of the UFC.
“The production of the [Bellator] show, it just stands out right away,” MacDonald said at a press conference. “The big screens, the entrances. They do it bigger. They do it right here. It’s a fight show here. They want to promote a fighter, they want to build it.
“It’s not generic where everyone is wearing the same thing. We get to be our own individual self, promote ourselves.
“Where I was before, everyone is wearing the same uniforms now, we’re all walking out of the same, boring dressing room or the gate. It’s boring. People are tired of that.”
MacDonald’s decision to switch allegiances was not altogether unexpected, given the fact that the likes of Benson Henderson and Matt Mitrione did the same earlier this year and that the Canadian had made no secret about wanting to increase his payday after the arrival of his first child, a baby daughter.
“The tide is turning,” he said. “For me, that title fight against Robbie [Lawler] was an eye-opener. It was like, OK we got to the show where you wanted to go, it didn’t work out, but now it’s time to start making some money.”
But a significant factor in MacDonald’s decision came with the changes that the UFC underwent in recent years, the most obvious one being the Reebok deal that the 27-year-old feels took away from fighters’ ability to express their personalities properly.
“You walk into that cage like every single other person out there on the roster,” MacDonald said about the UFC. “You’re basically like a robot walking into the cage with the same jersey on, there’s no difference between this guy and that guy. It’s boring, I find it.
“It’s very plain. I understand where they’re trying to go with it, but that’s just not fight sport. There’s no personality there.”
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