Former interim UFC bantamweight title challenger Michael McDonald will make his Bellator MMA debut on Dec. 15.
McDonald announced the news via social media on Thursday, and multiple outlets have confirmed “Mayday’s” debut with the California-based promotion. McDonald will be part of Bellator 190, which takes place at Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. Bellator will co-promote the card with the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts.
Making my @BellatorMMA debut in December in England! No opponent yet. Excited to have my first showing with the company! More to come 🙂 pic.twitter.com/UlrEFnqNCZ
— Michael McDonald (@MaydayMcDonald) September 28, 2017
The 26-year-old Californian does not yet have an opponent for the event. McDonald last appeared at UFC Fight Night 91 on July 13, 2016, when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to John Lineker. McDonald went 6-3 in the UFC, notching wins over Masanori Kanehara, Brad Pickett, Miguel Torres and Chris Cariaso, to name a few.
McDonald accused the UFC of dishonest business practices in an interview with ESPN after he was granted his release from the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“The UFC was dishonest in the way they tried to do business with me and it’s resulted in a complete waste of my time,” McDonald told ESPN. “I want to feel like my employer isn’t out trying to cut my head off. I’m looking to enter a mutually respectful business contract with another fight organization.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

