What's new at Ludus Martial Arts

We’re so proud of our team! Find out how they’ve been doing, as well as what else has been going on at our gym lately.

Rory MacDonald loves idea of frequent fights with PFL: ‘I always crave being more active’

NEW YORK – Rory MacDonald isn’t going to fight forever, and he knows it.

This is part of the reason why the Canadian standout, who is only 30 but has competed professionally since he was 16, is glad he’s now a part of the Professional Fighters League.

Should the former Bellator welterweight champion reach peak performance, he’ll compete five times in 2020: Twice in the regular season, and three times in the playoffs, including a $1 million championship fight at year’s end.

And at this stage of the game, this is music to MacDonald’s ears.

“I think my last year fighting and a couple others years fighting I was very busy,” MacDonald told MMA Junkie on Monday. “So, it’s something I’ve wanted to do because after my second fight with Robbie Lawler, I had this really bad nose injury, kept taking me out of fights.”

If you look at MacDonald’s career ledger, he fought twice apiece each year from 2009-2013, then once each year from 2015-2017.

“I had years in my career where I was benched,” he said. “And I got one fight a year, sometimes zero, maybe one or two, and I always crave being more active. So I think it comes at a really good time of my life to be in the cage more often, and it’s something I crave, to be active as a fighter.”

And it’s not just staying active over the course of the year that has MacDonald excited. Assuming the PFL maintains the format it held over its first two seasons, if all went to plan, he’d fight the quarterfinals and semifinals on the same night, which delights his inner fight nerd.

“I never would have thought that would have came in this day and age of MMA, but it’s a great opportunity,” MacDonald said. “Kind of brings the old school back from the old PRIDE days. When I was a kid watching, they used to do tournaments in one night, in K-1 they do one-night tournaments, and I always thought it was amazing. It tests your strength and your character. So, I’m excited.”

So long as he handles his business in the cage, PFL’s format will allow MacDonald to progress in an orderly manner based on how he performs, not based on the whims of a promoter who might consider box office first and actual competition a distant second. And this, too, was a factor in making the jump.

“I’m excited to see who they bring in also to fight me for the next season,” MacDonald said. “That’s the exciting thing about PFL, you never really have the same bracket every year, so there is going to be some new blood. I’m excited, man. It’s going to be a great season.”

UFC free fight: Charles Oliveira rallies to light up Michael Chandler for first title win

Charles Oliveira proved he had championship mettle when he battled through some early adversity against Michael Chandler. Oliveira faced Chandler for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 262 in May 2021. It took “Do Bronx” 28 octagon appearances to earn his first-career title shot. Round...

Javier Mendez disagrees with Daniel Cormier’s claim that Islam Makhachev more dangerous than Khabib Nurmagomedov

For Javier Mendez, Islam Makhachev is more skilled than Khabib Nurmagomedov but not more dangerous. Daniel Cormier, who also trained under Mendez at American Kickboxing Academy, said UFC lightweight champion Makhachev is even more dangerous than former champ Nurmagomedov was during his prime. Mendez heavily disagrees. “OK, he’s more...

come and try a ludus mma class free!

We want to make sure that Ludus MMA is the right fit for you before asking you to commit to a membership.
That’s why we’d like to offer you a FREE ONE-DAY PASS to our gym.

With your FREE PASS, you can:

  • Try as many classes as you’d like,
  • Explore the facility
  • Talk to our coaches one-on-one about what you can expect as a member

© Copyright 2024 - Ludus Martial Arts - 730 Beach Blvd, Unit 105, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250.

(904) 374-4186 / ludusmartialarts@gmail.com