Rory MacDonald was one of the Professional Fighters League’s most high-profile free-agent signings in recent years, but his first season ended in disappointment.
That was due in part to a split-decision loss to Gleison Tibau that ended up being named Sherdog’s “Robbery of the Year” for 2021. That setback didn’t keep MacDonald out of the postseason, but his run ended in a surprisingly one-sided decision loss to eventual champ Ray Cooper III in the opening round of the playoffs.
For a former Bellator champion and UFC title challenger, it was not the outcome many expected when he signed with the new organization. MacDonald is ready to get back to work for the promotion’s upcoming season, which kicks off when he faces Brett Cooper at PFL 3 on Friday night at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The evening’s main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
“It’s a fresh start, clean slate,” MacDonald said during PFL 3 media day. “I’m going to take from last year my disappointments and learn from them. I’m going out there to fix my errors. I feel like my work from the offesason is going to pay off, and I have a lot of confidence going into this year.”
MacDonald spent part of his training camp working at Tristar Gym with Firas Zahabi and another portion in Austin, Texas, with John Danaher and UFC veteran Tim Kennedy at a gym that also includes grappling aces like Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon.
“I moved my training camp around. I feel like it was a great fit for me,” MacDonald said. “The skills I picked up, I was able to implement them in my sparring. I’ve just got to carry what I learned from my training camp into my fight and all will be well.”
One might expect that MacDonald would be especially focused on finishing after the scorecards of the Tibau fight, but he claims the motivation to finish is already there.
“Not because of that situation but I have put in the work to be a finisher,” MacDonald said. “I feel like I did the right things in the offseason and I’m coming in at my very best. I’m gonna go out there looking for a finish.”
Cooper, like MacDonald, has been fighting professionally since he was a teenager. “Fudoshin” has title experience in Bellator MMA and Absolute Championship Akhmat and has faced a wide variety of competition in compiling a 28-15 record over a nearly 17-year professional tenure.
“Brett’s a tough guy with a lot of experience. I’m sure he’s going to bring a tough fight,” MacDonald said. “I’m going to go out there as if it was a championship fight. I think all my fights at this point in my career have that meaning … I’m going for the finish, whether it be knockout or submission.”
For MacDonald, it’s more about his own improvements than the opponent across from him. He believes his hard work will pay off in a positive fashion beginning on Friday night.
“The year was a bit disappointing for me, it didn’t go the way I expected,” he said. “I learned from my choices and I did my very best to fix those problems during the offseason. I feel like I did the right things and I feel my best. I feel very confident going into this year.”
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