Douglas Lima and Rory MacDonald have a chance to walk away as welterweight champion and tournament champion Saturday night (Oct. 26). With a title and $1 million on the line at Bellator 232, Lima knows the winner will have done something unique in the sport of mixed martial arts by getting through the toughest men in Bellator’s welterweight division. That’s a lot of work in the sport that various rankings do not seem to recognize according to Lima.
Lima told MMA News at Bellator’s media day in New York City that if he pulls off a win Saturday it shows, “I can beat any welterweight on the planet,” Lima said. A win on Saturday night should put him in pound-for-pound conversations, but when it comes to rankings, Lima is not of fan of them. “The rankings nowadays, I don’t like the rankings,” Lima added when looking at where he stands. “Some people have me at nine, some have me at four, five, I’ll let the people [fans] decide.”
Fight Matrix is one site that has him ranked at number nine, above his opponent MacDonald who sits at number twelve.
When looking at how many outlets produce rankings for mixed martial arts, Lima agrees that there are too many to know which are most accurate. “I’ll let the people decide,” Lima said a few times when answering if he feels a win would put him in the pound-for-pound conversation. “If you don’t believe me, come fight me. That’s all I can say.”
When it comes to a game plan for MacDonald, who coincidentally was sitting right next to him for the media day, Lima said, “That stuff I leave to the coaches, whatever they tell me to do I’ll follow it.”
Do you agree with Douglas Lima’s comments on rankings and where does he rank if he wins at Bellator 232?
