Rory MacDonald had just about as much success as anyone possibly can in his promotional debut at PFL 2. He was matched up against fellow UFC and Bellator veteran Curtis Millender in the opening day of the promotion’s Welterweight season and he came away with very little damage after securing a rear-naked choke in the very first round. He attempted a single-leg very early in the fight and although Millender defended well at first, it was only a matter of time before MacDonald managed to bring him to the mat. The pair settled in half-guard but Millender attempted to turn and gave up his back, so MacDonald sunk in his hooks and started raining down shots to soften his opponent up before securing the fight-ending choke.
Rory MacDonald is perhaps best known for his thirteen-fight UFC career that saw him go 9-4 against some of the best Welterweights on the planet. At one point he even fought his way to a title shot in the division against Robbie Lawler and gave fans what stands to this day as one of the most entertaining fights of all time before succumbing to a brutally broken nose in the fifth round and being unable to continue. MacDonald then moved to Bellator and beat the best that promotion had to offer, holding the Welterweight title there for almost two years before losing it to the same man he originally took it from, Douglas Lima. Now it looks as though he might be on the way to adding another belt to his collection.
PFL 2: Rory MacDonald v Curtis Millender Full Results
Rory MacDonald defeats Curtis Millender via Submission – Rear-Naked Choke (Rd 1, 3:38)
Ray Cooper III defeats Jason Ponet via Submission – Arm-Triangle Choke (Rd 1, 1:23)
Joao Zeferino defeats Gleison Tibau via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Emiliano Sordi defeats Chris Camozzi – Sordi wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-27)
Antonio Carlos Jr. defeats Tom Lawlor – Carlos Jr. via via Submission – Guillotine (Rd 1, 4:43)
Cezar Ferreira defeats Nick Roehrick – Ferreira via Knockout – Punches (Rd 1, 0:37)
Sadibou Sy v Nikolai Aleksakhin ends in a No Contest – Accidental Eye Poke (Rd 2, 1:56)
Marthin Hamlet defeats Dan Spohn via Submission – Arm-Triangle Choke (Rd 2, 0:52)
The full PFL 2 main card replay including Rory MacDonald v Curtis Millender will be available to watch on ESPN+, click here to subscribe and watch.
