Michael McDonald has hung up his gloves.
Despite a promising start to his run in Bellator, McDonald will cut his professional mixed martial arts career short at the age of 27. McDonald earned a sensational knockout victory over former Bellator bantamweight ruler Eduardo Dantas back in July, but “Mayday” had to undergo a fifth hand surgery. As a result, McDonald has decided to retire.
Bellator Bantamweight Michael McDonald Announces His Retirement
McDonald announced his retirement to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. He told ESPN the following:
“This last fight, everything was perfect. This feels good. Most people, when they quit, it’s because they can’t hang. They’ve been beaten out of the sport and their family is sitting them down and asking them to please stop. For me, it’s not a matter of skill or being able to perform, but I’m at a point where the cost is greater than the reward.”
“Mayday” ends his career with a record of 19-4. He earned 10 knockout wins and six submission victories. McDonald’s four losses were at the hands of Cole Escovedo, Renan Barao, Urijah Faber, and John Lineker. McDonald earned wins over the likes of Miguel Torres, Brad Pickett, and Dantas.
McDonald leaves the sport of MMA having competed for three major promotions. He’s done battle under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator, and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) banners. McDonald was also a Tachi Palace Fights bantamweight champion. “Mayday” has earned six UFC bonuses. Two of those were for “Fight of the Night,” one for “Knockout of the Night,” two for “Submission of the Night,” and one for “Performance of the Night.”
What is your favorite Michael McDonald fight?
