Rory MacDonald says to expect a 'very violent version' of 'The Red King' at Bellator 179

LONDON – Rory MacDonald says he’s unconcerned with Paul Daley questioning his heart and says it’ll be the Brit who’s forced to quit when the pair meet on Friday night at Bellator 179 at The SSE Arena in London.

Speaking ahead of his Bellator MMA debut, MacDonald had his game face on as he told MMAjunkie his plan for success.

“I know I have a strong will, and to break (me) down you have to push me very far,” MacDonald said. “I just don’t think he’s going to be able to push me in that direction. I think it’s going to be me pushing him to quit.”

The focus in MacDonald’s eyes is there for all to see ahead of the contest, which will propel the winner straight into a welterweight title fight with defending champion Douglas Lima. It’s the prize at the end of the fight for MacDonald, but for now his sights are firmly focused on the Brit known as “Semtex.”

“I’m there for war,” MacDonald said. “I’m not there for any accolades or anything like that. I’m war-bound, and that’s where my mind’s at.

“Right now it’s (about) Paul Daley. Once I get through him, I’ll take on the champion at that time. But I’m focused 100 percent for this Friday.”

Bellator 179 airs on Spike via tape delay. The headlining bout will see MacDonald make his first fighting appearance outside of North America, and it’s an experience he’s looking forward to, especially given England’s tradition in the field of combat sports.

“I’m excited to go into battle here,” MacDonald admitted. “From what I hear, it’s got a lot of fight history, a lot of fight fans. So I’m looking to put an awesome show out there for these people.

“The energy is high for this fight, I can tell. Everything’s going really well with the event, and it’s going to be a huge success, so I look forward to delivering and not disappointing these fans for what they paid for.”

And while Daley has vowed to break MacDonald during Friday night’s fight, “The Red King” has promised to showcase his violent streak to finish the Brit inside the distance.

“They’re going to see an action-packed fight,” MacDonald said. “And they’ll see a very violent version of myself pushing the fight and putting this guy away, eventually.

“I think I can give Paul troubles in any aspect of mixed martial arts, even though he is a specialist in the kickboxing department. I think he’s got a lot to deal with in me, so I think that’s the biggest threat.”

To hear more from MacDonald, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 179, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.