Rory MacDonald issues statement after getting eliminated from PFL playoffs

Although he’s enduring the roughest stretch of his career, Rory MacDonald plans on bouncing back stronger.

MacDonald (22-7-1), a former UFC title challenger and Bellator welterweight champion, was hoping to add another title to his resume when he signed with the PFL for the 2021 season.

But the “Red King’s” journey came to an end when he was dominated by reigning champion Ray Cooper III in the semifinals at 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 earlier this month. MacDonald took to Instagram to issue a statement, citing the time away from his family as one of the major factors that impacted his performance.

“Happy to be home with my family after spending 6 weeks apart. Being away from them for that long really affected me & showed me how much we need to be together for me to be at my best.

Ill be taking a few weeks off to enjoy relaxing at home with family and use the time to start planning my comeback for my 2nd season in @pflmma”

To kick off his PFL season, MacDonald submitted ex-UFC fighter Curtis Millender in the first round, then lost a controversial split decision to Gleison Tibau. The first-round finish over Millender was enough to earn him six points and a spot in playoffs, but he was eliminated when he ran into Cooper. MacDonald has now lost two in a row and three of his past four overall.