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0:59
This is Undaunted Life of Man's Podcast.
1:20
I'm your host Kyle Thompson.
1:22
Let's get into it.
1:22
All right, today, guys, we've got a very special guest on the podcast.
1:25
One of the greatest MMA fighters on the planet.
1:28
Certainly one of the greatest welterweights on the planet.
1:30
It is Rory the Red King McDonald.
1:32
So this is an MMA fighter who has fought in the UFC and Bellator, King of the Cage.
1:37
And he's just recently signed with the Professional Fighters League, the PFL.
1:40
Former welterweight champion over in Bellator.
1:42
This guy has a 21 and 6 record in MMA.
1:46
He's trained at one of the most famous gyms in the entire world.
1:49
And I don't want to waste a whole lot of time getting into this interview
1:52
because I just want you guys to get into it.
1:53
But the biggest reason why I wanted him on this podcast, yes, he's a great fighter.
1:57
Yes, he's been a part of some legendary matchups.
1:59
And in my opinion, been in one of the greatest or top two greatest fights ever.
2:04
But this guy is an outspoken Christian.
2:06
And I know for some of you immediately, you're like, wait, wait, what?
2:10
This is an MMA fighter.
2:12
What do you mean an outspoken Christian?
2:13
Aren't those things like on opposite sides of the spectrum?
2:16
But the thing about it is, is this guy has some unbelievable depth that I'm not even sure
2:20
you realized, even if you've watched interviews with him before, obviously,
2:23
most of the time he's being interviewed by the MMA media.
2:26
So what types of questions are they asking?
2:28
MMA relating questions, right?
2:31
That they want to know about the punches and kicks.
2:33
They want to know about the takedowns and the sprawls.
2:35
Like they want to know about those things.
2:36
They're not necessarily worried about a guy's spiritual awakening.
2:40
You know what I mean?
2:40
But he had one and we get into it.
2:44
We definitely talk about it in this episode.
2:46
Guys, this is one of my favorite interviews that I've ever done.
2:48
It's one of my favorite episodes that I've ever done.
2:51
Just because we go into a lot of really good detail on some fights
2:54
that I know you guys are already picturing in your minds.
2:57
And don't worry, we talk about those fights.
2:59
But man, the depth we get into in terms of what spiritualism is,
3:03
and not just, you know, spiritualism as, you know, modern society says it,
3:06
but actually being a disciple of Jesus Christ and being a fighter.
3:09
What is that like?
3:10
So guys, without further ado, let's get into it.
3:13
Rory, the Red King McDonald.
3:16
Welcome to Undaunted Life, a man's podcast.
3:18
Thanks for having me.
3:19
Absolutely, man.
3:21
We're so glad to have you on this podcast.
3:22
First MMA fighter we've had on this show, so we're super excited to have you.
3:25
And we'll jump right into the MMA questions here.
3:28
But kind of the first time I remember hearing about Rory McDonald,
3:31
you know, all this hype of you getting into the UFC,
3:33
is that you were one of the first up and coming young guys that
3:36
trained MMA your whole life.
3:38
Like you weren't just a wrestler or a boxer or a tie fighter
3:41
that had to learn the other disciplines later.
3:44
How do you feel like training all of the MMA disciplines as you grew up?
3:48
And as your body developed,
3:49
kind of helped you develop into this championship caliber fighter?
3:52
Yeah, I was lucky enough to find a mixed martial arts gym.
3:56
So they offered everything that goes into MMA,
4:00
from boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jujitsu.
4:04
So I had the opportunity to, you know, get everything under one roof.
4:10
And I loved it.
4:13
I loved the sport.
4:14
And I felt like I feel like, you know, the fact that I got to start with,
4:20
with, you know, the whole MMA mindset,
4:26
rather than focusing my mind on wrestling or, you know, a specific martial art,
4:33
I was putting everything together from, you know, my foundation as a martial artist.
4:38
So I think that's a big advantage for me even now.
4:42
I feel like I'm a balanced fighter.
4:43
So if I'm fighting a guy who, you know, specializes in striking,
4:47
I can hang with him striking.
4:49
But I could also, I'm comfortable to take him out of his comfort zone.
4:54
So that's, I feel, I feel a lot of confidence with that.
4:59
Well, that's one thing, as I've watched your career,
5:00
there's been a lot of fights where you'll shoot a takedown and you'll surprise me.
5:04
And I kind of have a wrestling background.
5:06
I'm like, oh my gosh, I didn't even think of take down there,
5:08
because maybe it's kind of one of those standing, you know,
5:10
trading type fights and, you know, your kickboxing with somebody and all of a sudden,
5:13
you shoot that takedown.
5:14
But obviously that served you well, because you started 10 and 0
5:17
to start your MMA career.
5:19
You won your UFC debut, but you did lose your second fight,
5:22
a fight that you were winning against the great Carlos Condit via TKO back in 2010.
5:28
It was at the very, very end of the fight,
5:29
a fight that you were definitely winning on the cards.
5:32
So for you, obviously, what was it like losing for the first time?
5:36
And then I know it changed how you started preparing for fights.
5:39
So, but what did you change specifically?
5:42
Yeah, it was a bit of a heartbreaker for me.
5:44
I always dreamed of, you know, being an undefeated guy and, you know,
5:49
it was a big blow to my ego.
5:51
And in the long run, it was good for me.
5:55
It helped open up my eyes and my mind to new things and keep developing.
6:00
So it was, you know, it was, you know, in hindsight, it was good for me as a young guy.
6:08
I think I was 21 years old.
6:09
After that, I decided to move to Montreal and train at TriStar full time with,
6:17
you know, the camp of fighters that we have out here.
6:21
I felt like coming from a small town,
6:26
it, you know, it served me well to be around guys that were dedicated
6:31
and just focused on being the best fighters they could be.
6:35
Whereas I was, you know, I was in a place where it was a small gym, local gym
6:42
that fighters are, you know, they're trying to work jobs,
6:46
support their families and do this on the side.
6:49
So as training partners, we're kind of falling away.
6:53
As I was getting more serious, I was starting to struggle, you know, finding,
7:00
you know, tough competition inside the gym, you know,
7:03
because some of my tougher, tougher training partners, you know,
7:07
had other things that took more presidents, you know, they had families to support and,
7:12
you know, to me, I was all in in the MMA.
7:15
So I had to make a tough choice and move on to Montreal.
7:20
One that ended up being probably one of the better decisions that you've made,
7:24
certainly for your MMA career, because you've got to spend a lot of time
7:27
training one on one with one of the greats.
7:30
And in my opinion, the greatest fighter in MMA history in George St. Pierre.
7:34
I mean, what was it like training?
7:35
And what is it still like training with a guy like that?
7:38
Who has you kind of alluded to?
7:39
He's completely sold out to MMA as well.
7:42
But having that caliber of fighter being close enough to you and wait
7:45
and also be a little bit more advanced in his career.
7:47
What was that like having him there?
7:49
He was definitely a good mentor, you know.
7:51
There was a lot of great guys there, though.
7:56
That was the big challenge point with Montreal, though.
8:00
You know, there was guys of all shapes and sizes.
8:02
And they were some of the best in the world coming out of Canada.
8:06
So it was an awesome opportunity for me to just get in the mix with those guys,
8:13
see what their mindsets were, see what the training differences were.
8:16
And also just learn from the older guys that had been around.
8:20
Absolutely.
8:21
And so you know, you've probably been asked this question before,
8:24
but I just got to know for myself, since you've been in the room with them a lot.
8:28
Prime Rory McDonald versus Prime GSP.
8:30
How does that fight go?
8:31
I mean, I'm, you know, I believe in myself.
8:35
But you know, George has, you know, he's done it all.
8:40
You know, he's obviously one of the greatest of all time.
8:42
But it's a question that makes me uncomfortable because I would never
8:49
want to disrespect someone like that.
8:51
And but at the same time, I feel that, you know,
8:56
I could, when I'm at my best, I could, I could be the best in the world.
9:00
I could be to anybody.
9:01
But luckily that never had to happen.
9:05
You know, me and George have been great training partners for each other
9:08
to help each other grow as martial artists and competitors.
9:12
So, you know, I, I was never interested in that, in that, in that match up.
9:18
Right.
9:18
Well, I got to tell you, if you're MMA career goes sideways,
9:22
you might have a career in politics or public relations
9:24
because you side skirted my hard question, which is cool,
9:27
because I wanted to make you a little uncomfortable.
9:29
But hey, we're settling in now.
9:30
But one of the big things about your career, when most people think about your career,
9:33
it's, it really goes back to the night of July 11, 2015 at UFC 189,
9:38
when you became an MMA legend, when you became one half of one of,
9:43
if not the greatest fight ever, certainly the greatest fight in welter rate history,
9:47
when you had your rematch against Robbie Lawler.
9:49
Of course, the first fight, there was some very awkward refereeing decisions
9:54
that were made in that fight.
9:55
You, you were dominating the majority of that fight.
9:57
I don't exactly agree with how the judges scored it, but hey, that's MMA.
10:01
But here you are in your rematch with the Robbie Lawler.
10:03
And but here we are right now.
10:04
We're, we're about five years past that fight.
10:08
What do you remember now when you look back on that fight,
10:11
which has become such a legendary fight?
10:13
Well, there was a lot, man.
10:15
It was one of the most intense moments of my life.
10:19
It was everything that I put my, you know,
10:23
I sacrificed a lot to get to that point.
10:25
So it meant a lot to me.
10:27
There was a lot going on in my life at that point too.
10:30
So it was just, it was a crazy time in my life.
10:33
But I was, I was hungry.
10:36
Probably not as hungry as I should have been, leading up to the fight.
10:41
But in the fight, you know, I was a dog and I was willing to, you know,
10:45
push myself very far.
10:46
I wish I was, I was willing to push myself a little farther.
10:50
You know, it is what it is.
10:52
It was a hard fight.
10:54
It taught me a lot about myself.
10:55
You know, when you go into those deep waters, you start to have to learn about
11:04
who you truly are when it, when push comes to shove.
11:07
So, you know, I'm very grateful for that experience.
11:11
And even though I fell short in it, you know, I'm, I'm happy the way it went down.
11:18
When I look back at it and I feel like it's made me a better, a better fighter because of it.
11:25
Well, and I got to tell you, that's probably the fight that I've re-watched the most.
11:29
And I've re-watched it even recently.
11:30
I watched it again last night.
11:32
And really the turning point of that fight was in the third round.
11:35
Because in the third round, obviously you could tell right out of the gate,
11:38
you're doing a lot of those teeps.
11:40
You're, you're teeping them right, right to the gut.
11:42
And you're doing some of those push kicks.
11:44
And he was just eating them for the first two rounds.
11:46
But then in the third round, you could tell that Robbie started to drop his hands
11:50
just ever so slightly because those, those kicks seem to be bothering him.
11:54
You know, looking back, that obviously seemed like it was a good game plan.
11:57
But when you look back on the fight, seeing how it ended up,
12:00
are there any other adjustments that you would make for that fight?
12:03
Yeah, it was far a little different.
12:07
But you know what, when, when you're under those lights,
12:12
sometimes the game plan just goes out the,
12:15
out the front door and you just fight.
12:18
And Robbie is one of those guys that he could,
12:20
he's, he's great at taking you out of the game plan and just,
12:23
and making the fight intense the way he wants it.
12:27
He's getting to a brawl and he was able to keep the fight like that,
12:31
which is, you know, it really played into his strength, I think.
12:35
And he's a very durable guy.
12:37
And, you know, with a very strong will.
12:42
And I was hoping that I was able to break it,
12:45
but it looked like you'd be broke mine at the end of the day.
12:48
Well, it's certainly one of those fights where obviously you heard him with a headkick.
12:53
That, that fight could have gone either way.
12:54
You saw the referee, Big John almost stepped in and stopped the fight at one point.
12:58
But last question on that particular fight,
13:01
I've always been curious about this.
13:03
Maybe the most iconic moment in MMA history is when the horn went off at the end of the fourth round.
13:09
And, you know, Robbie, you know, spits blood and you both just stand there
13:13
in the middle of the octagon, bleeding, broken, and you're just staring at each other.
13:18
And I remember that being the most gangster thing that I had ever seen in my entire life,
13:23
especially considering how the fight went.
13:25
But if you can, can you remember what was going through your head at that exact moment?
13:29
Yeah, I was exhausted at the end of that round.
13:33
I think it was the end of the fourth, right?
13:35
Yeah, it was the end of the fourth round.
13:37
Yeah, yeah, I tried to put him away in that round and I, I really got, I got tired.
13:45
And I could, I could feel him near the end of that round.
13:50
His intensity was growing.
13:51
He was, he got a second win.
13:53
He was hungry.
13:54
You know, he, it's like he, he dealt with my bat.
13:58
He thought that like he took my best and now he was, he was full steam ahead.
14:03
He was ready, you know.
14:05
And I think he smelled, he smelled my, my, my hunger diminish.
14:13
And, and he, I've seen him do it before where he, he'll come forward after the bell or after
14:22
a fight and he'll, he'll try to lock horns with guys or lock eyes and, and intimidate you.
14:27
Because he's a very intimidating person when you, when you, when you, you're, you're in a fight with
14:32
him, he has a, he has an intimidating presence.
14:35
And I always pull myself like I'm never going to let someone look at me like that
14:42
and me just turn my back and walk away.
14:44
So I was determined to stay in the fight, stay in the mental battle
14:49
at that point in time and, uh, stand my ground and, uh, kind of, you know, engage in that,
14:56
you know, uh, what would you call that?
14:59
Like alpha, stare down, I guess.
15:02
Right. Well, it was the fight, uh, inside the fight is kind of what it goes on.
15:06
Because yes, you have seen him punk guys in MMA before.
15:09
And it does do something to you psychologically when the other guy doesn't,
15:13
doesn't cower and run away.
15:14
But that is just, you know, he's just one of the many fighters in your MMA career that
15:19
you've got a lot of runway left, but you've fought a, a who's who of MMA legends in your career.
15:24
I mean, just to run the list a little bit Carlos Condant, Nate Diaz, BJ Penn,
15:28
Damian Maya, Tyron Woodley, Steven Wonderboy, Thompson, Paul Daley, Douglas Lima,
15:32
Gaygard Musasi, and the list goes on and on.
15:34
But against those top level guys, right, including Robbie Lawler, in your opinion,
15:40
what is the best performance of your career where you left the octagon or the cage
15:45
completely satisfied with what you showed the world and the result?
15:48
I felt like the best I walked into a fight was against Paul Daley.
15:53
And I mean, I was blessed to go through that fight, like untouched.
15:59
And I mean, it went perfectly.
16:00
But I really do felt like I did feel like when I walked in there,
16:05
there was nobody going to beat me.
16:07
And I just felt very on top of my game.
16:09
And yeah, I was, I was ready that night.
16:13
That's for sure.
16:13
I felt very good that night.
16:15
It was a wonderful performance for sure.
16:17
And it could be someone from that list or someone that may, I may have skipped over.
16:21
But aside from your legendary fight with Robbie Lawler, who was your toughest
16:25
opponent to date?
16:27
Who was the toughest fighter you've got?
16:28
By far, Robbie Carlos is up there.
16:33
But Robbie has a, he has a different, there's just a difference.
16:40
When you, when you walk orange with a guy like that, you, you, you instantly realize
16:47
you're, you're dealing with a different kind of a person
16:50
that you don't come across very often.
16:52
And yeah, he's a very interesting individual when you, when you get into battle with him.
16:58
It's, it's impressive.
17:02
He's taught me a lot just from like, just from our experience together.
17:07
And just to feel his energy and his, his, because you feel like when you're, when you're
17:13
in an intense fight or any kind of fight, you, you have almost like a sixth sense about the
17:20
presence of that person you're dealing with.
17:22
And his is, his was like on another level, plus, you know, the fact that I've done a lot of damage
17:30
to that guy or I've, you know, I, you know, I, I really give him my best to put him away
17:35
or dominate him.
17:38
And he always is just in the fight mentally and like, never stops.
17:44
So that he's definitely the toughest guy ever thought.
17:47
Well, I appreciate that.
17:49
So obviously you fought him in the UFC and then you transitioned to Bellator.
17:53
So you fought for those two organizations, which are very similar.
17:56
But now you're in the professional fighters league.
17:58
So you're in the PFL.
17:59
It's very different.
18:00
It's a tournament format where the winner gets a million dollars at the end of the rainbow
18:04
for winning the tournament.
18:05
Now that's usually on New Year's Eve, but we'll see how it goes with everything being pushed back
18:09
with the virus, but what was, I guess, the most appealing thing for you about joining PFL
18:15
as opposed to just staying with Bellator or even testing the waters with an organization like one.
18:19
Well, I mean, their, their contract offer was, you know, the best one I've got in my career.
18:25
So, you know, I got to thank God for, you know, that blessing.
18:29
And just there, I really like their, their, their season format.
18:36
I think that it's, it's a great structure for someone who wants to stay busy
18:42
and believes in themselves to, you know, go through the ringer,
18:47
which is five fights in a, in a, in a year.
18:50
So, you know, I, I believed in myself, obviously the million dollar prize at the end of the,
18:57
the tournament.
18:57
It just, it's a, it was a great opportunity.
19:03
It's a new start somewhere with people.
19:06
And with people in the organization, I believe in, I believe in their approach
19:14
and to be a part of that company, I feel like in the pretty early, early going of PFL,
19:20
I think that we're going to grow this thing into a major organization in MMA.
19:25
When I like that you use the word, we obviously, it's like you have some ownership in the growth
19:30
of what's going on there. And you know, they've needed to inject a little bit of new blood into
19:34
the system. And they certainly done that by adding you. But Roy, one of the main reasons why I wanted
19:38
to have you on this podcast is because of your outspoken Christian faith. Obviously, this is a
19:43
Christian podcast where 99% of the listeners are men. So you're gonna have a lot of fans listening
19:48
to you right now. But as long as I have all this right, I mean, you were raised Catholic, but you
19:52
didn't really follow Jesus for much of your life. But back in 2019, that you had an account, an
19:59
encounter with God. And you are now a disciple of Jesus. Can you actually walk us through
20:06
what happened during that time period of your life and what that encounter with God was?
20:09
Sure. I mean, it really goes back to 2015. After I fought Robbie, I had just kind of like,
20:23
I lost the fight and my life was going down a bit of a spiral downwards. And I just live in a very
20:32
toxic life. And my attitude really changed was starting to get very negative. I was, I was,
20:42
I was just an aggressive person. And I was losing, I just felt like I was losing control.
20:50
And I don't know, it was a strange time in my life on a lot of levels from my career to,
21:01
you know, my relationships, my family, my friends, you know, and just my own, you know,
21:09
outlook on the world. I just felt like very, in a very negative, dark place. And, you know,
21:17
I turned to alcohol, you know, smoking, smoking weed, you know, girls. And I just,
21:25
anything to take my mind off of the internal struggle that I was going through to not have to
21:32
deal with it. It was that summer, well, after summer, I was, I feel that God really sent me a
21:42
lifeline because I, I don't know where I would be if I just kept going down that path. And he,
21:50
I met my wife to be who, you know, is a, is a Christian, was raised in a Christian household,
21:59
you know, and, you know, I believe her. She had spent time in Bible college, but, you know,
22:06
we met and she, you know, invited me to the church she was going to. And I had had some
22:14
experiences in my, my teenage years with the, with the Lord that I never forgot. And I always,
22:22
I always had an interest for, for Jesus. I knew it was real. I just didn't, I didn't have
22:32
the know how or the structure around me. I don't know if these are excuses, but I just,
22:39
I didn't, I didn't feel like I knew how to walk the walk with Jesus. I, I, there was a lot of
22:44
things I didn't understand about faith, I guess, but I was, I had some experiences that were very real.
22:50
And I was always intrigued about, about God and a relationship with them. So when she invited me to
22:58
her church, at this point in my life, I was very skeptical. You know, I had heard,
23:05
I had heard and listened to every worldly outlook on, on Christianity and religion in general that
23:13
it's, you know, it's bad or, you know, they just want your money, things like that. So I went in
23:19
with a very skeptical outlook, but I was interested at the same time because of what I went through
23:26
years before. So I, I went there and the pastor, who was my pastor today, pastor, Steve Gesswaldi,
23:35
a good news chapel, I was like very taken back. I was like, when he started talking,
23:41
I'd never heard a preacher talk like that. Coming from a Catholic background,
23:45
it just felt like very, it was very genuine and real. And from, you know, the word, it was based on,
23:54
you know, what, what, what's in the Bible. And it just wasn't something I experienced before.
24:00
Immediately, I felt like God working in my heart, in my mind, that was like,
24:05
I was very like, I was just locked into what he was saying. And I just, I had a craving to know
24:13
more and to come back and keep coming back. So I mean, I was still living a pretty toxic life
24:20
at that point. But I mean, I think from that point on, the Lord started doing a work in me,
24:26
in my mind, because it was very hard-headed. I had a really hard heart and outlook on
24:31
life and people, and I treated people poorly. And, you know, it took some time, but I kept coming to
24:40
church. I started reading the Bible and, you know, actually taking a look for myself, what things
24:47
he said, and praying. And, you know, in a matter of time, I, you know, I gave my heart to the Lord,
24:56
and I got baptized. And, you know, then doing my best to walk that walk ever since. And, you know,
25:04
God has continued to do a work in me, you know, develop me in my walk as a Christian.
25:15
So it's been, it's been amazing. There's nothing better than having a relationship with the Lord.
25:19
That's for sure. Well, Roy, I really appreciate you spending some time getting into that and
25:23
explaining it to us just because we talk about all the time that there are guys that are kind of
25:27
like you, you know, an MMA fighter or a former military or a guy that could be categorized as,
25:32
you know, rough around the edges or just a rough guy in general, that, you know, maybe they look
25:36
at what's going on inside the church and they have some of the same thoughts that you did. Like,
25:39
oh, they just want your money. It's just a bunch of wusses in there anyway. Like, I don't want to
25:42
be one of those guys, but to see one of the baddest terms on the planet to basically come full circle
25:47
and embrace Jesus, Esther, Lord, and Savior, that that's, that's pretty substantial. But it's obviously
25:52
had more of an over overriding impact on all the areas of your life. Obviously, there's a lot made
25:58
about the comments you made after your fight with John Fitch and Bellator. And we're actually
26:01
going to play those comments here. I, I, I landed some good stuff in there, but
26:09
I don't know, something, something is just, it's hard to sometimes pull the trigger now,
26:15
I guess. I don't have that, that killer inside. I don't know. It's, it's really hard to explain,
26:22
but I, I hesitate a little bit now. I, I don't know what to say. It wasn't, it wasn't my best,
26:29
my best performance. Are you feeling that as you get older and you have more things
26:33
happening in your life that you're changing as a fighter? Yeah, as a man, I feel like God has
26:40
really called me for the last little while. And I don't know, it's, he's changed my spirit,
26:46
changed my heart. And it, it takes a certain spirit to come in here and, and put a man,
26:51
put a man to pain and stuff. And I just don't, I don't know if I have that, that same,
26:57
that same drive to hurt people anymore. I don't know what it is, but it, it's confusing, but
27:04
you know, I know the Lord has something in store for me, but he was speaking to me
27:08
in here tonight. And I don't know, it's, it's a different feeling. Well, how do you feel you
27:13
know your next matchup is soon? You're going to come back right away against even Gracie,
27:18
how are you feeling as far as getting back in this cage, basically in a month and a half?
27:22
I have to get out of here and real evaluate. You know, we'll see what happens tonight to us.
27:29
There was a mix of emotions in there. I landed some good stuff, but there was something,
27:36
something different. Well, congratulations on moving on in the welterweight tournament.
27:41
So in there, you said a lot of things that were really important, but the biggest takeaway for
27:46
me was this quote, it takes a certain spirit to come in here and put a man through pain.
27:50
I don't know if I have that same drive to hurt people anymore. It's confusing, but I know the
27:56
Lord has something in store for me. And you've had fights since that time period. You've obviously,
28:01
within a few days, you were doing interviews kind of explaining the context behind those,
28:06
those thoughts, but can you kind of explain that time period and what that was like after that
28:10
fight and kind of what you feel like the Lord was teaching you during that time?
28:14
Yeah. During that time, I was very hungry. I was in the word every day and I was
28:22
really getting close to God. I was pursuing him. And a lot had been changing in my life
28:31
the last few years. I have two kids now. I'm married. I have a house, just a different lifestyle.
28:42
I guess my hunger for God at that time was misplaced. My outlook was a bit off, I guess.
28:54
I didn't understand maybe that God could use me in the field that I was currently in. I felt like
29:02
so many people, when they give their lives to the Lord, they go to Bible college, they go on to do
29:09
things like that. And I thought maybe that's what I need to do. But I realized shortly after
29:16
that wasn't my calling. Right now, this is the field that the Lord is going to use me in my career
29:30
for now anyway. And to give my testimony, to evangelize to people around me that I come into
29:37
contact with, be an example of a man of combat, you know, well, I mean, hand-to-hand combat
29:47
that lives for the Lord. So I guess I was just confused on my purpose as a Christian.
29:56
I was hungry to serve God. I just think it was a bit misplaced at the time.
30:07
But since then, you know, I've learned a lot and I've spent some time with the Lord and people
30:15
around me feel a lot more clear and a lot more driven. Because, I mean, when you're having
30:23
confusing thoughts, your drive is a bit everywhere. So I feel focused, driven, and I feel like I'm
30:32
living out my purpose at the moment. And yeah, thank God.
30:39
Well, with all that in mind, the thing that you noticed when you watch fighting it, and I've
30:44
been watching MMA since the very beginning, whenever my dad took me to the video store and we rented
30:49
UFC 1 and UFC 2 and we watched it, the thing about it is you don't seem to see a lot of outspoken
30:56
Christians in MMA. Why do you think that is? I think it's pretty hard to do it. I mean, it's,
31:02
you're in a pretty dark world. You know, not dark, but like, there's people who are living
31:12
in the darkness in that world, you know, that are drawn to it. And there comes a lot of criticism
31:19
when you speak out about Jesus in this world, as you probably know. Sure. And so when you use
31:28
that platform, when there's people that don't know the Lord, hear you talking like that,
31:34
you know, they're obviously going to, you know, have some negative outlooks on you.
31:43
So I think it takes a bit of boldness and courage to do that, especially when maybe sponsors or
31:52
opportunities that, you know, you question, are you going to get the same opportunities if you
32:00
speak out your faith? Are you going to get the same sponsorship if you speak out your faith?
32:04
Right. So it also comes down to money and your career goals.
32:11
And then obviously, you know, the persecution, you know, verbal persecution.
32:18
Yeah. I think that's probably why. That's understandable. Well, we've got a couple of
32:26
sections here left since we've got you for a little while longer. So this first one,
32:30
I just want to ask you some lightning round questions that are about MMA. So with all of these,
32:34
you got to give me your answer in 30 seconds or less. We just want the nuts and bolts of exactly
32:40
what your answer is. So you up for it? Yeah. All right. Here we go. First question here,
32:46
what is the most important discipline to master for MMA?
32:49
You do too. All right. Easy enough. Fantasy matchup. If you could fight with anyone in MMA
32:56
history in their prime, who would it be and why? Robbie Lawler. Okay. Sounds good.
33:05
Why would you do that? To see if I have what it takes to beat him now. Sounds good. All right.
33:12
Where does your nickname, the Red King come from? It actually is the meaning of my first name, Rory.
33:18
I had gone through a string of bad nicknames. You got to tell us now.
33:28
First one was Waterboy, given to me by my martial arts team, Tishido, and my coach, David Lee,
33:36
and I always dislike that because it's like in reference to the Waterboy, the movie,
33:41
Adam Sadler movie. Right. Yeah. Because I had a lot of rage and anger. So when I would get,
33:47
like, beat up or whatever, I would just let it all out and just kind of fit of rage.
33:52
He called me the Waterboy because I was only a little kid when I first started training. So,
33:58
I don't know. And then I didn't like when people started calling me that in UFC interviews.
34:03
And at the UFC, I was always embarrassed by it. So I changed my own nickname to
34:08
Ares, the God of War. And I know it's kind of cringy that name too, but I was just very desperate
34:15
to come up with something different. And I was kind of just thinking of my own, like,
34:19
you know what? I got to change this name and driving me nuts. So, changes to that. I really,
34:28
it wasn't sitting well with me there after a few years. And I was talking to a friend,
34:34
another fighter, Keaton Johnson, about this, about, like, oh man, I really don't like my nickname.
34:40
His socks, you know. And we were talking about the meaning of my first name Rory.
34:50
As shooting ideas around. And we looked it up or whatever. It said that there was Scottish Kings.
34:57
I don't know from what time frame, but they called them the Red King. And I just felt like that was
35:04
that was a pretty cool name. I don't, I don't, I wouldn't feel embarrassed about that name.
35:09
So that's where that's where I came from. Very cool. I'm glad you went into over time to
35:14
explain that one. Next quick question here. Who is your favorite fighter to watch of all time?
35:20
Oh, that's a hard one. Uh, George St. Pierre. All right. Who is the most underrated fighter ever?
35:27
The hard question for lightning. Sorry. I know, I know.
35:38
Because there's so many, uh, there's so many guys. I'm going to screw this up.
35:45
Probably, uh, there's the, you know, Dan Henderson. I feel like you didn't get that much credit.
35:50
You accomplished a lot. Absolutely. Never got the strap in the UFC. A lot of people hold that
35:55
against him, but hey, you know, he had some great, great wins. All right. This next one is, you've
36:00
got to give me your MMA Mount Rushmore. So these are your top four favorite fighters ever and to
36:06
do your favor, just to do your favor. I'll, I'll talk slowly as I, as I tell you mine. Okay.
36:11
So here are my top four. I got GSP, who I think is the goat. Then I've got John Jones,
36:17
because if the United States has to send John Jones to fight against another country when we
36:21
get in one war, I'm putting him on steroids and we're sending him over there to take care of business.
36:25
Then I'm going to go with Daniel Cormier, because I think when people look back on his career,
36:30
they're going to realize how underrated it was. The guys that he beat and the guys that he ragged
36:34
all in the last guy is Conor McGregor, just because he almost single handedly elevated MMA up two or
36:41
three levels in like a two or three year span. And he was the first double champ in the UFC history.
36:46
I mean, you just can't take that away from him, even with all the antics and the stuff that,
36:49
you know, we wish he wouldn't do. So that's my MMA Mount Rushmore. So go ahead and give me.
36:54
Okay. So I'll go with number one, I'll go with voice crazy. Okay. Just because of, you know,
37:00
the first UFC, the very first UFC, you know, he was a dominant champion, has a smaller guys,
37:07
you know, he did a great thing. He exposed the martial arts world to the power of Jiu-Jitsu
37:13
and started a snowball effect of guys cross training different martial arts and we are
37:19
we're here today because of it. Then I would probably put Chuck Liddell because he was
37:27
an influential person in me being attracted to MMA in my early teenage years because
37:36
he was a he was a bit of a he was a champ at that point in time. And he was just crushing people.
37:42
Then I'll put Joe St. Pierre because he, you know, GSP did is one of the greatest of all times.
37:52
And then I don't know. There's a lot of I know, I know. I mean, I feel bad because I want to say
38:00
the major is Johnson. I want to say John Jones. I want to say all these different guys. But I feel
38:07
like, like you said, if I'm going to, if we're going to go to go to war and use one one fighter
38:15
from each, each country, I feel like John Jones would probably beat everyone. So I'll put him up there.
38:21
Just the idea of him being unlike rhinoceros steroids with like a bow and arrow and a spear,
38:26
like that's the scariest thing possible. Yeah, you probably don't even need them on steroids.
38:31
You just probably need them happy and healthy and not distracted with, you know, a toxic lifestyle.
38:36
Yeah, there is that too. All right. Last MMA hit a quick question and I'm going to put you on the
38:41
spot. Who is the goat? George, I just feel like, you know, you know, the losses he did have,
38:49
he avenged them dominantly. He's just accomplished so much. The guy was just a dominant force every,
38:57
like all the time. He just crushed his career. No one did what he did. It's incredible.
39:03
Yes, it was John Jones. I mean, and what Demetrius Johnson did is incredible. His UFC run,
39:11
Anderson Silva. There's amazing guys who did amazing things, but I'd have to give it to George.
39:17
Excellent. Well, the last section of the podcast here is something new that we like to do with
39:21
people. It's a section called, what would you say to someone that said, and I'm just going to fill
39:26
in the blanks there because these are things that I've either wondered about. These are things that
39:30
I've heard other people say, it'll give you kind of a chance to answer your critics. But just like
39:34
before, you got 30 seconds or less to answer. So you good for it? Yeah. All right. What would
39:39
you say to someone that said MMA will eventually be the biggest sport on earth? I would, I would
39:46
agree with them. Back then, there was not much going on with MMA, but I believe in it. I believe
39:53
in this sport and where it was going. So I would, I would have said, I totally agree. All right.
39:59
What would you say to someone that said Rory McDonald just went to the PFL for the easy paycheck?
40:04
Hey, now I have never said that for the record. It's dummies on Twitter. So you can't get mad
40:10
at me. All right. I've seen the comment. Don't worry. I'm not bothered by it. I get it. I don't
40:18
think it's going to be easy at all. These guys are hungry. They want to make a name of a guy that's,
40:23
you know, fought in the UFC and for the title and things like that. I made a name for myself.
40:29
These guys want to come take me out. And the format itself, if you just take a look at that,
40:33
it's going to be a heck of a time getting through, you know, the training camps, the weight cuts,
40:40
and, and obviously the battles that I'm going to have to get through. So it's, it's a bit of a,
40:45
it's a, it's a grinder to get through that format.
40:49
All right. What would you say to someone that said Prime Tyron Woodley would beat
40:55
Prime George St. Pierre? Oh, not even close. Not even close. I totally disagree. I mean, I tend to
41:03
agree as well. But whenever Tyron was going on his, his long string of wins, people started talking
41:08
like that was real life. And, you know, hey, I may run into Tyron at some point. So I don't want
41:11
to talk too much. But let's just say I will, I agree with you here. Next one. What would you say to
41:16
someone that said Rory McDonald will never fight at middleweight at Burr again? Is this very good
41:22
possibility? But you know, I actually, I don't know, the older I get, I'll probably, I'll probably
41:33
want to cut last weight. Because I do feel like I'll be in the sport for a long time still. So the
41:40
older I get, it might happen where I transition. But I'm not a very big guy. So middleweight would
41:47
be, you know, compared to these guys that are at middleweight now, I'm not, I'm not there. But
41:53
we'll see, we'll see what happens. All right. What would you say to someone that said Rory
41:57
McDonald and Douglas Lima will never finish their trilogy? I think we, I have a feeling we will. I
42:04
think we're going to, we're going to fight again. I'm going to beat him. Well, gosh, John, I hope so.
42:08
Y'all's first fight. That was incredible. I was on pins and needles that entire time. Obviously,
42:12
he exploded your leg at one point, which was awkward to see. But a very, very good fight to watch.
42:17
All right. Just a couple more here for you, Rory. What would you say to someone that said
42:21
Christians shouldn't be fighters? I think they have a misunderstanding of what being a Christian
42:29
is in a relationship with the Lord. I think they are taking certain things from the word
42:37
and twisting it to manipulate their outlook on what it is to be a Christian.
42:45
Fair enough. Last question of the day. What would you say to someone that said Rory McDonald
42:50
will go down as one of the greatest welterweights in MMA history? I think they're right. I have a
42:56
lot to, I have to, a lot to accomplish in this, in this career. A lot of people have me down and
43:02
out right now. They think that, you know, because I've gone to another organization, they, they're
43:08
just counting me out. They're not even looking at me being a part of the top group of guys anymore.
43:15
I'm gonna go past 30 seconds, by the way, because I like this question. No, you're good. You're good.
43:19
You know, I feel like after Douglas beat me this fall, his name got elevated to, is he the best?
43:32
Would he be, would he beat the champion USC Kamala Usman? You know, they really, like he barely,
43:39
I mean, he beat me. He won, he won the fight. I'm not going to take it away from them.
43:44
But basically the outlook, the general outlook that you hear is from that fight, him beating me
43:52
by decision, you know, he, he won, he won the rounds. I won't, I won't take it away. But they're
43:58
taking him as being a dominant force, possibly one of the best in the game right now at Welterway,
44:05
to me being completely forgotten about and that I'm, I'm done, you know, that there's nothing left
44:13
for me. And I'm super excited and motivated to come back and absolutely shock people. And
44:20
only the Lord knows what's, you know, what's left in my career, but I feel like I'm gonna come back
44:28
and have the best years of my life, best years of my career in the next, in the next bunch of years
44:36
to come. And, you know, it'll, it'll, I think it'll really be a cool story looking back. So that's
44:43
what I'm motivated. And that's what's giving me some hunger right now to come back and, you know,
44:50
really show people, you know, where I'm at and who I am as a, as a fighter.
44:55
Great answer. I appreciate it. Well, man, we talked about a lot of different things today. We went
44:59
all over the map, but that's all for me. Is there anything else you want to get off your chest?
45:04
Um, not really. I appreciate the interview and, you know, talking about my faith, you know,
45:09
it's a great opportunity to tell people about, you know, the goodness of God. So I thank you for
45:18
that, that opportunity. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my followers on social media.
45:26
I'm hoping this, this gets out there to a lot of people so they can see that God loves them and,
45:34
and that he has a plan for their life, you know, where they're at right now, doesn't, doesn't
45:41
determine who they are, you know, God could change whatever, whatever, whatever is wrong in your
45:48
life or whatever things that didn't go the way you expected, you know, or, you know, this even
45:55
just this virus thing, you know, people are so afraid. But if you, your heart is right with the
46:01
Lord, you know the word of God that you know that at the end of the day, everything's going to be
46:06
all right because you are right with the Lord. And he's going to, he's going to take care of you.
46:12
And, uh, you know, in the end, we win because of Jesus. So, um, yeah, praise God. That is the
46:18
gospel right there. We really appreciate you preaching it to our listeners. And we'll make
46:22
sure to get you back on here at some other point because you'll probably, you probably forgot to
46:25
tell us something. So we got to get you back on to ask you some more questions. But Roy McDonald,
46:29
thanks for coming on a Daunted Life of man's podcast. Thanks very much. I appreciate it.
46:34
Thank you guys for tuning into that podcast episode, man. We really enjoyed our time that
46:42
we spent with Roy McDonald. Uh, I mean, you don't expect a guy to even get that deep because even
46:46
when you ask someone about their spiritual walk, you'll get kind of the cursory glances and overviews
46:50
of, yeah, this is good. And I like this. And, you know, God's good and Jesus is cool. And like,
46:54
but, but he actually went deep and he kind of gave you a peek behind the curtain to get an idea
46:57
of what's going on in that guy's head. So I absolutely love that guys. We're going to do a
47:01
quick resilience boost before we let you out of here. As you know, by now, we are immense ministry.
47:05
And our mission is cultivating manly resilience. And specifically, we do that by providing content
47:10
like this podcast that helps you forge spiritual mental and physical toughness. So the links I've
47:14
got for you today, I've got a link to the Robbie Lawler versus Rory McDonald to fight. I've also
47:18
got the Rory McDonald versus Douglas Lima one fight that was at Bellator 192. We talked about that a
47:23
little bit in the show. I've also got his after fight comments as post fight comments whenever he
47:27
fought John Fitch whenever he was talking to big John McCarthy. That was the audio that we played
47:31
earlier in the show. And then also we've got a full episode called the retrospective. And that
47:35
was an interview that was done with Rory McDonald. It was called facing Nate Diaz, Robbie Lawler,
47:38
BJ Penn, and more. And the last one I've got for you here is Rory McDonald discusses his move from
47:43
Bellator to the PFL. It was another interview that he did. All right, guys. Thanks so much for listening
47:47
to the podcast. We really do appreciate it. If you would, please subscribe on Apple podcast,
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that's I N F O at undaunted.life. Our website is www dot undaunted.life. And you can follow us on
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48:27
we want to thank the band August Burns read for allowing us to use their entire music library
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48:36
latest record entitled guardians. The links to all of this are in the description. I'm your host,
48:40
Kyle Thompson. Remember, keep cultivating manly resilience, keep forging spiritual,
48:46
mental and physical toughness. Keep seeking the lion of Judah.
49:10
[Music]