Rory MacDonald has shared the octagon with many big names in the history of the UFC’s welterweight division, but the past title challenger says there’s one name he wish he got the chance to fight.
“Red King” competed 13 times in the UFC, and six times each in Bellator and PFL before calling it a career in 2022. On a recent episode of JAXXON Podcast
, MacDonald reveals the fight that got away, in his opinion.“I think there would’ve been a few more guys I would’ve liked to fight,” MacDonald said. “I would’ve liked to fight Nick
Diaz out of respect — if he hears it he’s probably going to get offended.
“Yeah, it’s just another big name I grew up watching.”
MacDonald has fought everyone from Robbie Lawler on two occasions, to Carlos Condit, Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, and B.J. Penn throughout his career.
When asked who the toughest opponents of his career were, MacDonald was quick to name two former titleholders — with one being an interim champ — while also discussing one of the craziest, full-circle opponents of his fighting chapter.
“Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit, those guys [were the toughest],” MacDonald said.
“[But I also fought B.J. Penn and] that was crazy for me. B.J. was a guy I really watched a lot of tape on. I really liked his fights, so it was like fighting a hero and an idol. I started watching and training mixed martial arts when I was like 13, 14 years old, so I was watching these guys as a kid and now I’m in the ring fighting them? So it was pretty wild. And he was talking all kinds of smack before the fight. I don’t even remember [what he was saying], it was all stupid stuff. Because Georges and him had a rivalry, they had two fights and I think he was still a bit sour about it, that Georges beat him.
“So he was saying, ‘Oh, that kid’s on steroids,‘ this and that, and he even challenged me to do private drug testing, which I accepted and proved him wrong.”
