Rory MacDonald (18-2) kommer att utmana Robbie Lawler (25-10-0-1) om welterviktstiteln på UFC 189. De två möttes första gången på UFC 167 där Lawler segrade via split-decision och nu pratar MacDonald ut som sina tankar kring deras första match.
MacDonald förklarar att han tappade motivationen inför första matchen mot Lawler.
“I had a couple things in training and my body wasn’t feeling good; I just lost motivation,” berättade MacDonald för MMAjunkie. “I couldn’t train as hard as I usually did and the injury kind of made me not focused. It just made me not into it. I think it was just my hunger was not there. I wasn’t really into the fight at that point.”
“Before that fight I was like, ‘Oh, I just kind of want this to be over.’ I wasn’t really interested in fighting. I just wanted to get it over and done with and just relax.”
MacDonald har tidigare varit tvungen att dra sig ut på grund av skador och MacDonald ville inte dra sig ur igen trots en ankelskada inför första mötet med Lawler.
“I had people telling me I shouldn’t fight, but I did it anyways,” sa MacDonald. “I said that I was going to do it. I don’t think the fight was signed, but I said I was going to do it. I had got injured like two or three fights in a row and I was just sick of it. I kind of came to the conclusion that you can’t be perfect in every fight.”
MacDonald känner sig mer fokuserad inför den här matchen, förut kände han sig distraherad av andra saker inför deras första match och MacDonald förklarar att han har utvecklat sina tekniker.
“My skills come a long way; my focus has changed since that fight and I’m just a little more determined to get in there and actually fight,” MacDonald said. “I don’t think I was focused on the actual fighting. I was a little distracted, a little less motivated to actually do martial arts at that point in my life.”
“It was a close fight. Technical. My heart wasn’t in it and I just wasn’t there. That’s how I felt anyway. … I have a lot more techniques (now). I have a lot more skills to show in this fight than what we had last time. I’ll be better prepared mentally and physically. That’s going to show itself.”
“The difference is this time I want to fight; I’m looking forward to being in there and having the blood on my face and being in the heat of battle,” sa MacDonald. “I don’t think he’s as dynamic in his skills than me, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a hard fight.”
