"The Red King" is here to conquer.
Competing for the first time in the Bellator cage, Rory MacDonald's grappling proved to be too much for Paul Daley as he submitted the British star in the second round of the main event of Bellator 179 in London on Friday.
@rory_macdonald making it look easy at #bellator179 #TheRedKing #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/R1Py5uCrUZ
— Ayube Ghani (@ayubeghani) May 19, 2017
With the victory, MacDonald is expected to get a title shot against the winner of an upcoming fight between Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima and Lorenz Larkin, which takes place on June 24.
MacDonald looked for all the world like a consensus top-5 contender, taking Daley down early in the opening round to nullify the explosive striking of "Semtex." Wrestling has traditionally been viewed as a weakness of Daley's, and he simply had no answer for MacDonald ramping up the pressure in Round 2 and securing the submission.
The 27-year-old Canadian's first foray into the Bellator cage couldn't have gone better. MacDonald signed with the promotion last August after a seven-year run in the UFC that saw him go 9-4 and once challenge for the promotion's welterweight championship.
MacDonald's overall professional record improves to 19-4, while Daley's mark drops to 39-15-2.
