Welterweight champion Rory MacDonald and Douglas Lima will run it back Saturday night at Bellator 232 in an anticipated rematch of their January 2018 title fight, when MacDonald claimed the belt from Lima with a hard-fought victory.
At stake this time isn’t just the regular title belt. With this being the Bellator welterweight grand prix final, MacDonald and Lima also are fighting for a tournament title belt and a $1 million grand prize.
When they fought at Bellator 192, MacDonald, who failed in his only UFC title fight, was coming off a submission win over Paul Daley in his Bellator debut. Lima, meanwhile, was in his second reign as champion and defended his title six months prior by defeating Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC.
That set the stage for a memorable five-round war between MacDonald and Lima at Bellator 192. And while MacDonald left the cage with gold that night at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., it wasn’t without consequences – he left the arena on a stretcher after Lima brutalized his leg with kicks.
To get ready for their Bellator 232 headliner, watch the first fight between MacDonald (21-5-1 MMA, 3-1-1 BMMA) and Lima (31-7 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) in the video above.
Bellator 232 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card that streams on DAZN.
