There’s no reason to think that Kamaru Usman and Rory MacDonald will fight anytime soon, but recently the latter was asked for his thoughts on his UFC counterpart.
MacDonald is getting set to face Jon Fitch tonight at Bellator 220, in what is a quarterfinal bout for the promotion’s ongoing, welterweight grand prix. Recently the Bellator champ was asked to weigh-in on Usman, and here’s what MacDonald had to say (quote via MMA Fighting):
“He’s very good, one of the best welterweights in the world and he had a great performance against Tyron (Woodley), dominated him, which is no easy task,” MacDonald said. “He’s very skilled and a tough guy so I have a lot of respect for him and he’s fun to watch.”
MacDonald has a solid idea of how tough Woodley is, as he faced the now former champ in back in 2014 and won via decision.
And what does MacDonald think of Fitch? Well, when asked to comment on the veteran fighter, the champ said this:
“…Jon has proven himself to be a hard-nosed competitor whenever he gets in there against anyone, so it would be foolish of me to take a guy like that lightly just because he’s in his forties.
“He’s the guy that’s fought the who’s who and he’s fought everywhere. He’s fought for world titles and all kinds of things, he’s been a world champion himself, and he’s at the top of the sport for a long time, so it’s quite nice to be fighting guys of his caliber.”
Yup. Fitch’s prime years may be in the rear-view mirror now. But, the accomplished fighter’s won five straight bouts, and thanks to his wrestling game, he remains a very tough out. The last man to defeat him was feared submission artist, Rousimar Palhares, who did so back in 2014 via a first round, kneebar. So, it would be silly of MacDonald to look past him.
Bellator 220 will take place in San Jose, California.
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