Paul Daley-Rory MacDonald winner gets title shot, Bellator chief Scott Coker says

Bellator 179’s headliner between Paul Daley and Rory MacDonald is now officially a No. 1 contender’s bout.

Bellator CEO Scott Coker confirmed the news on an official conference call ahead of May 19’s scrap in London. The victor is expected to face whoever comes out victorious of the “Bellator: NYC” clash between welterweight champion Douglas Lima (28-6 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) and challenger Lorenz Larkin (18-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) set for June 24.

Coker later told MMAjunkie that either Daley (39-14-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) or MacDonald (18-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) are expected to have their stab at the belt some time in October or November.

“If you look at our division in the 170-pound weight class, it’s clearly one of our strongest divisions,” Coker said. “And I think it’s probably the strongest division of welterweights of any leagues currently out there.

“You look at the fight between Douglas Lima and Lorenz Larkin in New York; we have other prospects, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Derek Anderson; we have Paul, we have Rory. … But this fight clearly will be for the No. 1 contender’s spot.”

Bellator 179 takes place May 19 at The SSE Arena in London. The card airs via tape-delay on Spike. “Bellator NYC” serves as a follow-up to Bellator 180 at Madison Square Garden Arena in New York. Prelims for Bellator 180 stream live on MMAjunkie, with a Spike-televised main card and, later, the pay-per-view card.

Ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, MacDonald makes his Bellator debut almost one year after his last UFC outing. Other than title contention, the scrap is also a chance for MacDonald to snap a two-fight skid in his last two octagon bouts, against ex-champ Robbie Lawler and two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson.

For England’s own Daley, a win over MacDonald might mean a chance to avenge a unanimous decision loss to current champ Lima last year. Daley comes off a massive flying knee knockout of Brennan Ward at January’s Bellator 170 and boasts an overall 6-1 record in his most recent fights.

For more on Bellator 179, Bellator 180 and “Bellator NYC”, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.