Rory MacDonald

Rory MacDonald built his reputation as one of the most technically complete fighters of his generation, competing at the highest levels of mixed martial arts in both the UFC and Bellator. The Canadian welterweight captured the Bellator Welterweight Championship, cementing his place among the elite of combat sports. His fights were defined by sharp wrestling, disciplined pressure, and a grappling foundation that translated seamlessly across rulesets.

His final MMA bout took place on August 13, 2022, against Dilano Taylor at PFL 8 in Cardiff, Wales. Following that fight, MacDonald stepped away from training and social media entirely, entering an extended hiatus that lasted from 2022 through 2025 — a full departure from competitive life with his next chapter left uncertain.

The path back began closer to home. His children's growing involvement in jiu-jitsu reawakened his connection to the martial arts. Two events in 2025 then accelerated his return: an appearance at a UFC event in Montreal reconnected him with the combat sports world, and assisting Stephen Thompson in a training camp rekindled the competitive instinct that had defined his career. With that motivation restored, MacDonald redirected his focus toward submission grappling and no-gi competition as the next stage of his athletic life.

With renewed purpose, MacDonald committed to serious grappling training at Kingsway HQ under coach David Lea as of December 2025. The structured environment and technical depth of that program provided the preparation needed to re-enter sanctioned competition after years away from the mat.

In December 2025, MacDonald entered the ADCC Niagara Open 2025 — his first competitive appearance in the grappling arena. Competing in the Under 91 kg division, he won gold, validating his return and confirming that the grappling fundamentals forged across a decade of elite MMA remained sharp and adaptable to a pure submission context.

The result carried significance beyond the medal itself. MacDonald's comeback — from an extended public absence to a podium finish at an ADCC circuit event — drew considerable attention across the BJJ and grappling community. It demonstrated that elite wrestling and grappling instincts, when channeled under focused coaching, translate effectively to the submission grappling format. For a competitor who had stepped away from training for several years, the gold medal served as a compelling statement of intent.

Parallel to his competitive return, MacDonald has established himself as a substantive instructional resource through a multi-volume library released with BJJ Fanatics. The breadth of the catalog reflects his well-rounded combat sports background, drawing equally from his MMA experience and his grappling development.

Ground and Pound

His most expansive release, Ground and Pound, spans nine volumes and translates his MMA striking-from-top approach into a structured grappling curriculum. The series addresses how fighters and grapplers can apply pressure and create damage from dominant positions — a direct expression of the skills MacDonald refined throughout his professional career.

Passing and Positional Control

Top Control No Gi Passing Strategies shifts focus to positional advancement in a no-gi context, covering the mechanics of passing and consolidating top control against resisting opponents. The material reflects MacDonald's disciplined approach to pressure and positioning, offering grapplers a systematic framework for advancing through an opponent's guard.

Striking Integration

Mastering The Jab applies boxing fundamentals within a grappling and MMA framework. The series gives practitioners a practical method for integrating the jab into their positional and distance management toolkit — bridging the technical gap between stand-up and ground-based competition.

Takedowns and Wrestling

Takedowns Attacks - Nogi Wrestling for Grapplers addresses one of the most consequential phases in no-gi competition: the stand-up engagement. The series brings MacDonald's wrestling background to bear on the specific demands of submission grappling, where takedown efficiency can determine outcomes as decisively as any ground technique.

Defensive Fundamentals

Foundation No Gi Jiu Jitsu Defense rounds out the library by covering the defensive essentials every no-gi practitioner needs — survival, framing, and escape concepts that form the bedrock of a complete grappling game.

Taken together, the instructional library positions MacDonald as a bridge figure between MMA and the broader BJJ and grappling world, offering material that is directly applicable across both competitive contexts.