Rory MacDonald thinks Douglas Lima trilogy still possible: ‘Never know where our paths cross again’

Despite recently signing with PFL, Rory MacDonald still sees a trilogy with Bellator champ Douglas Lima as a possibility.

NEW YORK – The score isn’t settled between [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] and [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag], but MacDonald isn’t too concerned about it.

Having recently signed with PFL, former Bellator welterweight champion MacDonald (21-6-1 MMA, 3-2-1 BMMA) has split two fights with the current champ Lima (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA).

In their first outing in January 2018, MacDonald took the 170-pound title from Lima by defeating him via unanimous decision. Then this past October at Bellator 232, Lima was able to avenge his loss and recapture the title by defeating MacDonald in the welterweight grand prix final.

That would be MacDonald’s final fight with the promotion, and while that could have left a bitter taste in his mouth, MacDonald still sees a potential trilogy happening down the line.

“It is what it is, you know?” MacDonald told MMA Junkie on Monday. “Who’s to say we won’t meet up later down the road? We’re not in the same organization at the moment, but I still see myself fighting for a long time, and maybe he is too. You never know where our paths cross again. I don’t worry about it too much. Competition, he won one, I won one, c’est la vie. On to the next.”

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MacDonald surprised many with his decision to sign with PFL, but ultimately he is happy with the choice he made.

“Bellator had the opportunity to, you know, not have me as a free agent,” MacDonald said. “But I think just between this organization and wanting to take the risk on free agency, there was discussion, and obviously Bellator, they had their interest. But when it came time that I was able to talk to other promotions, I wanted to play the field. I wanted to see what options were out there, and the best option out for me was PFL.”

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2019 PFL Championship live and official results (6 p.m. ET)

Follow along as the PFL concludes its 2019 season with six $1 million title fights in New York.

NEW YORK – The 2019 PFL Championship finale takes place Tuesday night, and MMA Junkie is on the scene with live results.

The PFL Championship takes place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET following an ESPN+ prelim at 6 p.m.

In the women’s lightweight main event, Kayla Harrison takes on Larissa Pacheco in one of six division finals with $1 million on the line. Lance Palmer (featherweight) and Natan Schulte (lightweight) both look to repeat as champions, while Ray Cooper III (welterweight) looks for redemption after losing last season’s final.

2019 PFL Championship results include:

  • [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] – women’s lightweight championship
  • [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] – welterweight championship
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] – heavyweight championship
  • [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] – lightweight championship
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] – featherweight championship
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] – light heavyweight championship
  • [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] vs. [autotag]David Alex Valente[/autotag]

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Lance Palmer admits Alex Gilpin trilogy feels ‘weird’ but focused on repeating as PFL champion

Lance Palmer is looking to make it two years straight winning $1 million, and he’ll have to beat Alex Gilpin a third time to do it.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] is looking to make it two years in a row winning $1 million. In order for that to happen, he’ll have to beat someone for a third time.

Palmer meets [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] on Tuesday in the PFL Championship featherweight final, with the winner taking home the $1 million grand prize. Palmer (21-3), the defending 145-pound champion, already has defeated Gilpin (14-3) by unanimous decision twice this year – once in the regular season and again in the playoff semifinals. But he’ll have to do it again after Gilpin, the No. 4 seed, was promoted following a flagged drug test by original finalist Daniel Pineda.

Ahead of the 170-pound final, Palmer talks about the trilogy and how “weird” it feels under the circumstances, how he’s approaching the matchup, staying focused, and more.

You can watch Palmer’s pre-fight scrum in the video above.

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Rory MacDonald loves idea of frequent fights with PFL: ‘I always crave being more active’

Potentially fighting five PFL bouts in 2020 is music to Rory MacDonald’s ears.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] isn’t going to fight forever, and he knows it.

This is part of the reason why the Canadian standout, who is only 30 but has competed professionally since he was 16, is glad he’s now a part of the Professional Fighters League.

Should the former Bellator welterweight champion reach peak performance, he’ll compete five times in 2020: Twice in the regular season, and three times in the playoffs, including a $1 million championship fight at year’s end.

And at this stage of the game, this is music to MacDonald’s ears.

“I think my last year fighting and a couple others years fighting I was very busy,” MacDonald told MMA Junkie on Monday. “So, it’s something I’ve wanted to do because after my second fight with Robbie Lawler, I had this really bad nose injury, kept taking me out of fights.”

If you look at MacDonald’s career ledger, he fought twice apiece each year from 2009-2013, then once each year from 2015-2017.

“I had years in my career where I was benched,” he said. “And I got one fight a year, sometimes zero, maybe one or two, and I always crave being more active. So I think it comes at a really good time of my life to be in the cage more often, and it’s something I crave, to be active as a fighter.”

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And it’s not just staying active over the course of the year that has MacDonald excited. Assuming the PFL maintains the format it held over its first two seasons, if all went to plan, he’d fight the quarterfinals and semifinals on the same night, which delights his inner fight nerd.

“I never would have thought that would have came in this day and age of MMA, but it’s a great opportunity,” MacDonald said. “Kind of brings the old school back from the old PRIDE days. When I was a kid watching, they used to do tournaments in one night, in K-1 they do one-night tournaments, and I always thought it was amazing. It tests your strength and your character. So, I’m excited.”

So long as he handles his business in the cage, PFL’s format will allow MacDonald to progress in an orderly manner based on how he performs, not based on the whims of a promoter who might consider box office first and actual competition a distant second. And this, too, was a factor in making the jump.

“I’m excited to see who they bring in also to fight me for the next season,” MacDonald said. “That’s the exciting thing about PFL, you never really have the same bracket every year, so there is going to be some new blood. I’m excited, man. It’s going to be a great season.”

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Kayla Harrison ‘probably won’t be happy’ – even with $1 million – unless she finishes Larissa Pacheco

“If she does last five whole rounds, I’ll tip my hat to her and say, ‘Damn, that’s a tough b*tch.'”

NEW YORK – Safe to say [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] has high expectations for her upcoming fight.

The two-time judo Olympic gold medalist returns to action Tuesday night to headline the 2019 PFL Championship finale at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Her opponent is a familiar foe and one that left a sour taste for Harrison last time they met.

Back in May, Harrison (6-0 MMA, 6-0 PFL) out-pointed seasoned veteran Larissa Pacheco in a dominant decision win to improve her MMA record to 4-0. But despite the victory, Harrison was distraught that she didn’t finish Pacheco and cried on the broadcast. She looked very upset, which left many fans watching at home confused.

Now, heading into the rematch, which has a championship belt on the line paired with a $1 million grand prize, the mentality is still the same for Harrison. And despite the extra bonuses, Harrison won’t be satisfied unless she stops the Brazilian.

“I probably won’t be happy again,” Harrison said. “It’s not the million dollars. It’s about being the best possible version of myself. I want to win by knockout, TKO or submission. I’ve prepared mentally and physically for five grueling rounds, but I want to break her. I want to go out there and show everybody I’m not to be trifled with. And if she does last five whole rounds, I’ll tip my hat to her and say, ‘Damn, that’s a tough b*tch.'”

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A young talent in the fight game who is still very much developing, Harrison sees herself having an even more dominant performance this time around against Pacheco. It’s been only a few months since the two last fought, but Harrison believes there will be a noticeable difference.

“I’m not an expert by any means, but the ground that I’ve covered in the last six months, it feels really good,” Harrison explained. “It feels like I’m finally getting comfortable and finally feeling like a fighter instead of a judo player in the cage. I think the Kayla that I am today would demolish that Kayla (from the first Pacheco fight), so I think everyone can look forward to that.”

Harrison, unbeaten in her young MMA career, is regarded as blue-chip prospect who could go far given her world-class background in judo. With high expectations and with a recent win over Pacheco, many would assume the pressure is high for Harrison, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“There is no pressure,” Harrison said. “You can’t compare it to the pressure that I put on myself. Obviously, adjustments have been made by both of us, and it will probably be a little bit different looking fight this time around, but there is no pressure. It’s time to go have fun and do what I do.”

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PFL Championship: Title fighters face off ahead of end-of-season finale in New York

Recap the staredowns as the stars of the PFL Championship faced off for the media at the pre-fight press conference in New York.

The 2019 PFL season comes to a close on Dec. 31 as the organization hosts its end-of-year finale in New York, with six championship belts – and six $1 million prize checks – up for grabs.

The fighters sounded off, then faced off, at the recent pre-fight press conference ahead of their respective bouts at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, as the fighters set for action in the six title fights, plus one featured preliminary bout went eye-to-eye for the cameras.

Headlining the event is a battle for the PFL women’s lightweight title, with two-time Olympic judo champion [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (6-0, 6-0 PFL) looking to pick up her first championship gold as an MMA fighter when she takes on Brazil’s [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (13-3, 2-1 PFL).

Their bout tops a seven-fight card that features five more championship matchups as the season-long PFL tournaments come to a conclusion with each division’s final championship bout.

Returning 2018 champions [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] and [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] both made it all the way through to their respective finals once again as they bid to become two-time PFL tournament champions. Schulte (19-3-1, 8-0-1 PFL) takes on [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] (13-1-1, 2-1-1 PFL) for the 155-pound strap, while Palmer (21-3, 10-0 PFL) faces off against [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] (14-3, 2-2 PFL) in the 145-pound final.

The heavyweight belt will be contested between Russian powerhouse [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (8-0, 4-0 PFL) and gritty American veteran [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] (20-7, 6-3 PFL), while the 205-pound title will see Argentina’s [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] (21-8, 5-1 PFL) take on America’s [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] (12-1-1, 2-1 PFL). Also up for grabs is the PFL welterweight title, with former UFC veteran [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] (18-5, 3-1 PFL) taking on 2018 runner-up [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (19-7-1, 6-2-1 PFL).

The six title fights will be preceded by a featured featherweight preliminary bout, as England’s [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (18-3, 1-0 PFL) takes on Brazil’s [autotag]David Valente[/autotag] (11-4, 0-0 PFL).

PFL Finals 2019 confirmed fight card includes:

  • Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco – for women’s lightweight title
  • Ray Cooper III vs. David Michaud – for welterweight title
  • Ali Isaev vs. Jared Rosholt – for heavyweight title
  • Champion Natan Schulte vs. Loik Radzhabov – for lightweight title
  • Champion Lance Palmer vs. Alex Gilpin – for featherweight title
  • Jordan Johnson vs. Emiliano Sordi – for light heavyweight title
  • Brendan Loughnane vs. David Valente

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Kayla Harrison channeling her inner Cardi B ahead of PFL Championship: ‘I’m living my best life’

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has her sights set on gold of another kind at the PFL Finals in New York.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is used to winning, but admits her first taste of championship gold as a mixed martial artist will be every bit as sweet as her successes on the Olympic judo mat.

Speaking at the pre-fight press conference ahead of her lightweight title bout with Larissa Pacheco at the 2019 PFL Championship in New York, a beaming Harrison explained how much she is enjoying her new career after transitioning from Olympic judoka to professional mixed martial artist.

“Are you kidding me? I wake up every day and can’t believe that this is my life,” she said. “I’m living my best life – Cardi B and I, we know what’s up! I’m very blessed and truly humbled that people want to hear what I have to say, and I’m going to do the very best that I can to be a good role model, to be a great fighter – one of the greatest fighters ever – and to do it my way.”

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Harrison, who said she wants to “make history,” and “shatter ceilings” as she brings another championship belt back to American Top Team, said the PFL’s tournament structure is tailor-made for someone with her competition experience.

“It’s totally different (competing in MMA compared to judo). I think you have to be a bit crazy to do both, right? You train four years for one day, and that’s really what it’s like here for this, as well. It translates good for me, because I’m used to being in a tournament system, I’m used to fighting a lot, I’m used to having a goal at the end of the tunnel, and using my skill to create my own destiny.

“I love it here – I feel like the PFL is going to be my home for a long, long time. Winning two gold medals and being the first ever to do it for your country is kinda like: ‘Can you really top that?’ But I love the taste of gold. I haven’t touched it since 2016 and this belt’s going to be really special to me.”

Harrison went the distance with Pacheco in their first meeting back at the first PFL event of the 2019 season, and admitted she underestimated the Brazilian. But she also had an ominous warning for her opponent ahead of their rematch as she declared her intention to deliver a statement performance at the Hulu Theater on Dec. 31.

“I would definitely say I didn’t take Larissa as seriously as I should have,” she said. “She’s an amazing fighter, she’s been fighting much longer than me, since she was just a kid. She’s a very game opponent, she’s good everywhere.

“But the strides that I’ve made since May – the ground that I’ve covered – it’s exponential. You can’t stop me. You know what I’m gonna do (and) you can try and stop it, but there’s not going to be any stopping me. And three rounds was bad for her – imagine five rounds of this.”

Harrison’s bout with Pacheco headlines a seven-fight card at the Hulu Theater in New York on Dec. 31. In addition to their women’s lightweight title fight, the card will also see five PFL’s men’s titles decided, with returning champions Natan Schulte and Lance Palmer bidding to become successive two-time season champions at lightweight and featherweight respectively.

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PFL Finals 2019: Confirmed fight card

  • Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco – for women’s lightweight title
  • Ray Cooper III vs. David Michaud – for welterweight title
  • Ali Isaev vs. Jared Rosholt – for heavyweight title
  • Champion Natan Schulte vs. Loik Radzhabov – for lightweight title
  • Champion Lance Palmer vs. Alex Gilpin – for featherweight title
  • Jordan Johnson vs. Emiliano Sordi – for light heavyweight title
  • Brendan Loughnane vs. David Valente