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SPORTS

Rory MacDonald wants to stay with the UFC on his terms

By Jonathan Bradley FoxSports
Published | Updated
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DUBLIN, IRELAND - OCTOBER 23: Rory MacDonald interacts with fans during a Q&A session before the UFC weigh-in at 3Arena on October 23, 2015 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC welterweight contender Rory MacDonald has made it abundantly clear to anyone that will listen that he's looking for the biggest payday possible after he finishes up his current contract this June against Stephen Thompson in Ottawa.

MacDonald, a 12-fight UFC veteran, isn't one to usually talk about money and has been every bit of a company man until this point, but now that his contract is up, he's looking for some security.

"Martial arts was always a fun thing; I never thought about money," MacDonald told MMAjunkie. "But now it's come to a point where I've done a lot of things, and my value is up there. I thank the UFC for the opportunities that brought me to that."

MacDonald enters the matchup against Thompson having lost just twice since 2010, both to current champion Robbie Lawler. During that span, he's taken down the likes of Nate Diaz, BJ Penn, Jake Ellenberger, Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia, building one of the strongest resumes in the welterweight division.

But given his contract situation and desire to "be compensated" and create a "comfortable life for my family and provide for them," MacDonald won't be taking his potential stint as a free agent lightly. Ideally, however, things wouldn't even go that far.

"The perfect scenario is that I have the performance of my life against Stephen, re-sign with the UFC with the numbers I want, and fight for the title and win," MacDonald said. "Then, I'm sitting pretty."