Mixed martial arts: Rory MacDonald announces his retirement

MISE À DAY

Canadian Rory MacDonald announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Sunday.

After dropping out in the semi-finals of the Professional Fighters League in the first round against Dilano Taylor on Saturday, MacDonald confirmed he was retiring the next day in an Instagram post.

“I started playing the sport at the age 14 years old and I still remember my first day. I knew I wanted to spend my life doing this, MacDonald wrote.

“What an adventure my career has been, with 17 years of professional fighting. I've learned a lot about myself during my journey and I've made several mistakes, but I'm a better person at 33 because of them.”

The Quesnel native, in British Columbia, had an illustrious career and notably tasted victory against big names like Nate Diaz and Tyron Woodley.

It was moreover at the end of a duel against Douglas Lima that MacDonald, who was training partner of Georges Saint-Pierre, won his only world championship belt, in 2018.