Lima punching MacDonald (right) (photo via Bellator)

By FCF Staff

Not long ago Rory MacDonald made headlines when it was announced he would not return to Bellator and has signed with the PFL, and Douglas Lima was one of the people shocked by the news.

In December, it was announced that MacDonald had signed with the PFL, ending a three-year run with Bellator. The move came not far removed from MacDonald’s second bout with Lima, which he lost via decision at Bellator 232 in October.

In January, 2018, MacDonald took the welterweight title from Lima via a unanimous decision win.

Well, recently Lima spoke with MMA Junkie, and while discussing MacDonald’s departure, the champ said this:

“I’m happy for him,” Lima said. “I’m happy that he’s moving on and that he’s looking out for himself. I was definitely shocked and surprised that he moved over there but I guess he got a better deal. I’m happy for him and I’m happy we got to share those 50 minutes.”

And when asked whether he’s upset that a rubber match with MacDonald may not materialize, Lima stated:

“Yes and no,” Lima said. “We’ve had 50 minutes already in the cage and I definitely learned from that (first) fight. I don’t think I’d ever lose to him again to be honest. It would definitely be good to have a trilogy to really make sure who’s the better fighter.

“You never know what’s gonna happen in the MMA world. We might cross each other’s paths in the future.”

Lima (32-7) was booked to fight Gegard Mousasi for the vacant middleweight title at Bellator 242 this month, but the card has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.