Bellator 192 results: Rory MacDonald edges Douglas Lima to claim welterweight gold

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Rory MacDonald’s mission when he joined Bellator was to claim championship gold. He did that at Bellator 192.

MacDonald (20-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) endured a potentially broken nose and a badly damaged leg over the course of five rounds to beat Douglas Lima (29-7 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) by unanimous decision for the 170-pound title.

The title fight co-headlined tonight’s Bellator 192 event. It took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and aired on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie.

The opening round was very much a feeling-out process. MacDonald put the pressure on Lima with his trademark jab, but the Brazilian answered back with some of his leg kicks. Eventually MacDonald got a good position in the clinch and was able to drag Lima to the ground, working closely from inside the guard until a referee standup in the final 10 seconds.

MacDonald shifted to a far more tactical strategy in Round 2. After taking a few hard low kicks from Lima, he decided to move into the clinch and push his opponent against the cage. The pace slowed to a grinding halt at that point, but MacDonald was able to stay busy enough to stay in position for more the decisive portion of the stanza. Lima, however, managed to land a shot, which bloodied MacDonald’s nose.

The Canadian didn’t veer from his grappling approach in the third. He went back to the clinch position against the fence, patiently waiting for his opening to take Lima down. He did, but similar to the first, was unable to advance to inflict any significant damage before a referee standup.

It was after that third-round standup where the tide turned in Lima’s favor. He landed a series of crushing low kicks to MacDonald, one of which put the “Red King” on the canvas. Unfortunately for the champion, though, he couldn’t turn the situation into a finish.

Lima had the advantage on his side going into the fourth, because MacDonald’s leg swelled badly, and it was clear he was feeling it. Lima attempted to inflict further damage, but MacDonald wisely avoided more punishment and forced grappling exchanges where he couldn’t be kicked.

With the fight razor-close going into the fifth round, MacDonald showed his poise against Lima, who appeared to be the more fatigued fighter. Who grounded Lima once more and got off his best ground-and-pound shots of the fight. He opened a cut around Lima’s eye, making it even more difficult for him to get off his back.

MacDonald kept top position for almost the entire fifth round, securing him the victory and the 170-pound belt by scores of 49-48, 49-45, 49-46.

“He’s the best guy I’ve ever fought,” MacDonald said in his post-fight interview.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 192 results include:

• Michael Chandler dominates Goiti Yamauchi, ties record for most Bellator wins
• Aaron Pico scores 37-second knockout with body shot
• Henry Corrales decisions Georgi Karakhanyan in first bout in Paramount history

For more on Bellator 192 check out the MMA Events section of the site.

(John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Inglewood.)