Rory MacDonald says he ‘froze in the cage’ during loss to Gegard Mousasi

At Bellator 206 Rory MacDonald had an opportunity to make some MMA history. Already a champion in the Viacom organization – and with a long, successful career under his belt – he took a shot at becoming Bellator’s first ever ‘double champ.’

While not the first man to compete for belts in multiple divisions under the Bellator banner, MacDonald was, in fact, the first sitting champion to even challenge for a second title. Unfortunately for the Canadian ‘Red King,’ that challenge didn’t go nearly as planned.

MacDonald succumbed to a barrage of elbows and punches at 3:23 of the second round in his fight against middleweight belt-holder Gegard Mousasi. The TKO loss marked the Tristar fighter’s first in his new promotional home, following wins over Paul Daley and Douglas Lima.

After the defeat, MacDonald took to Twitter to share his feelings on the fight, and explain what he felt went wrong in the cage that night.

“Last night was a tough one for me, unfortunately I didn’t mentally show up ready to take on a competitive fight and froze in the cage,” MacDonald wrote on social media. “In this sport you pay a high price if you’re not dialed in and ready to go. I have zero excuses, Gegard was a fantastic champion last night.”

“I just wanted to give an update to those asking what happened in their[sic] last night,” he added.“Thank you all for your support. God Bless”

While the loss was a rough one – and MacDonald appeared to take yet more damage to his previously injured nose – ‘Rory Mac’ already has another fight lined up. He’s got a previously announced appointment to take on fellow former UFC title contender Jon Fitch in the opening round of Bellator’s Welterweight Grand Prix.

No official date or location for that fight has been set. But, back in August MacDonald suggested that he was getting “two dream opportunities in the same year” (between the Mousasi fight and the tournament bout). Whether that Fitch fight still remains on track – or gets pushed back until 2019 to give MacDonald a chance to recover – remains to be seen.