Douglas Lima and Rory MacDonald will rematch when the two meet in the main event of Bellator 232 where the title and the Grand Prix title will be on the line.
It will be a highly-anticipated rematch and for Douglas Lima, he says he has gotten better since the first bout.
“I learned so much from that fight,” Lima said after Bellator 225 (h/t MMA Junkie). “Just the heart he brought on that last one. The guy had one leg, was still able to finish on top in that last round. I really learned a lot from him in that fight. I’ve got him to thank for that. It made me a better fighter, I already showed that against (Andrey) Koreshkov. That fight IQ, everything just got better. And I’m still learning. Still getting better, still fixing some stuff and I can’t wait to show it in October.”
Not only has he gotten better but he expects a better Rory MacDonald and one who won’t take this fight lightly. As he believes the Canadian underestimated him in the first fight.
“I expect a better one for sure,” Lima said. “I think he’s going to be more prepared this time. Maybe the last time he didn’t really respect me as a fighter the way he should. That’s my opinion. I think he’s going to come way more prepared this time, he’s going to come ready for the leg kicks and good fighters, when we fight each other, bring out the best of each other. That’s what I’m expecting here.”
Regardless, Douglas Lima is confident he will get his hand raised and set up a trilogy fight with Rory MacDonald in the future.
