Fans make jokes about Rory MacDonald. They rib him for his quiet, almost robotic demeanor during press conferences and in the cage. He’s the Red King, yes, but many considered him the “Canadian Psycho” for a reason. For years, Rory would quietly destroy everyone the UFC put in front of him, and he would welcome all comers with a sharp elbow and an unblinking stare.
But times have changed. His historic fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 189, one of the greatest title fights in the history of the sport, left MacDonald with a shattered nose and just a $59,000 check. After gym fees, managerial fees and the time it takes to get into the cage, Rory realized that he’d just took a beating of a lifetime for pennies. Then the UFC sold for $4.2 billion. Now he’s in Bellator, and he’s letting the UFC know how he feels.
Speaking at the Bellator 160 post-fight press conference, Rory Mac made his instant love of his new home, and his frustration at the UFC, clear. (H/T MMA Fighting)
“The production of the show, it just stands out right away. 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.
You walk into that cage like every single other person out there on the roster. 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.
The tide is turning. For me, that title fight against Robbie 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.”
He certainly has a point, and you can absolutely point at some fan fatigue over the last few years, but the UFC has also enjoyed two of its most successful years in history in 2015 and 2016, so maybe there’s something to be said about the uniforms?
Nah.
(Via MMA Fighting)