Rory MacDonald had to wait a full year to make his PFL debut — and now he will do so against a late-notice opponent.
MacDonald (21-6-1), who signed with PFL in late 2019 but didn’t compete in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will face Curtis Millender (18-6) at PFL’s regular-season event on April 29 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
MacDonald had been set to face David Michaud on the card, but Michaud abruptly announced his retirement from MMA this week because of a heart condition.
A former UFC and Bellator MMA champion, MacDonald hasn’t fought since October 2019. He will face an experienced opponent in Millender, who has also fought in UFC, Bellator and LFA. The 33-year-old Millender has several impressive wins on his résumé, including victories over former UFC title challenger Thiago Alves and current UFC middleweight Kevin Holland.
PFL also announced that it has replaced Jason Soares with Lazar Stojadinovic on the 2021 featherweight roster.