Former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald, who challenged the UFC title once, was knocked out in less than four minutes by Dilano Taylor during Saturday’s semifinal playoff match at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena.
Following a devastating loss, Rory MacDonald has decided to retire from competitive sports.
The news of MacDonald’s retirement was first revealed by his wife, Olivia. Later, he confirmed the news via Instagram:
My time has come to put the gloves down for good. im so thankful for this sport and every person ive been able to meet along the way.
i started this sport as a 14 yr old kid, i still remember my first day and knowing this is what i wanna spend my life doing. the passion for martial arts and becoming a pro mma fighter gave me hope and a way to a better life! and im so thankful to god for putting that gym toshido mma in kelowna in my path. it truly changed the direction of my life and saved me!
what an adventure this career has been, 17 years of professional fighting. it all came and went so fast! so many painful trainings that are etched into my being, travelling to all parts of the planet and meeting so many people.
ive learned so much about myself through this career, not all of it good . and ive made so many mistakes along the way, but here i am 33 yrs old a better man becuase of those mistakes, to which im very grateful ive grown up lol
i wanna thank all of my fans that have been so supportive, i never got into the sport for fame or any acknowledgement and its been hard adjusting to attention like that but i am truly thankful for your kindess youve shown me!
thank you to all my friends and family that have went out of there way to help me live out my dream of fighting at the highest level of mma, thank you for believing in me, and caring so much, youve been so generous and i love you you all.
thank you to the ufc, bellator, pfl for the opportunity to fight on the world stage
and all the staff of those organizations, youve all be really cool ppl to hangout and work with, sorry you had to put up with me being cranky and needy most of the time we spent togetherthank you to my coaches and my training partners and managers!
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This isn’t a decision that was made overnight and has probably been stewing for some time now. In the past several years, MacDonald has said he has internal conflicts about participating in the sport, especially when it comes to inflicting damage upon opponents.
There has been a steady decline in the results since then. The last three years have seen MacDonald go 3-5.
Even though MacDonald is 33 years old, he has a long and arduous career in the sport. After making his professional debut at the age of 16 in October 2005, he compiled a record of 10-0 to begin his career.
In January 2010, Rory joined the UFC, where he won his debut, then challenged Carlos Condit in his sophomore bout. MacDonald was successful inside the octagon against Nate Diaz, B.J. Penn, Demian Maia, and Tyron Woodley.
MacDonald’s defeat to Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 back in July of 2015, the Fight of the Year, was the turning point in his career. As a result of the fight, he suffered substantial damage and was never the same as he had been previously.
In May 2017, MacDonald made his Bellator debut following his exit from the UFC. When he fought Douglas Lima, he won the welterweight title, then lost the rematch.
Later on, MacDonald played in the PFL, going 2-4 with victories over Brett Cooper and Curtis Millender. A loss in the semifinals of the welterweight playoffs in 2021 and 2022 ended his career.
