Rory MacDonald to face Paul Daley in Bellator debut on May 19 in London

Rory MacDonald created a big splash in August when he left the UFC and signed a free-agent contract with Bellator. The welterweight, despite back-to-back losses in his final two UFC fights, was arguably the most gifted fighter among those that Bellator president Scott Coker signed away from the UFC.

If he never wins another fight, MacDonald will be remembered for taking part in one of the greatest matches of all time, an incredible slugfest on July 11, 2015, in Las Vegas at UFC 189 that he lost via fifth-round TKO to Robbie Lawler in a bout for the welterweight title.

Bellator will get to show off its prize signing in another high-profile fight. It announced on Twitter on Thursday that MacDonald will face heavy-handed Paul Daley on May 19 in London.

After knocking out Brennan Ward with a flying knee on Jan. 21 in Inglewood, Calif., in what may well turn out to be the KO of the Year, Daley called out MacDonald.

Now, he’ll get his wish.

Bellator has been making its way by putting on tentpole main events, using big-name fighters who have been past their primes in order to draw ratings on Spike. But this fight is a legitimate match between two of the best welterweights in the world and, given their history, figures to be fireworks.

The Lawler-MacDonald fight will be remembered in history, given the stakes and the sensational battle that took place. Whether MacDonald will ever be the same after that remains to be seen, because fights like that take a lot out of a fighter.

He sat out 11 months after that bout in order to allow his body to heal, then lost a decision on June 18 last year to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in his final UFC fight.

It’s definitely a fight to mark on your calendars now.