Rory MacDonald was one fight away from fighting for another welterweight championship and $1 million in prize money. He advanced to the semifinals of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) welterweight tournament and encountered a former champion in Ray Cooper III, who dominated MacDonald en route to a unanimous decision win at the 2021 PFL playoffs last week.
MacDonald did not immediately respond to the loss that led to his elimination from the tournament, but has since released a statement on social media and revealed one of the reasons why his performance was not up to par.