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I’ve never been a champion, so I don’t know how these things work. But apparently being a champion earns you a VIP ticket to the champions club.
The Golden State Warriors, of course, know a thing or two about champions; they’ve won the last two NBA Finals, and three of the last four. Rory MacDonald also knows a thing or two about champions; he is currently the welterweight champion of the world for Bellator MMA.
So it only makes sense for the two parties to hang out.
The fight promotion is in town for Bellator 206, which takes place Saturday night in San Jose. While there, two of their fighters decided to pay a visit to the Warriors’ training facility, to take in a practice and hang out with some of the players.
Not surprisingly, Golden State - and especially the fight fans on the team - had some fun with MacDonald’s championship belt.
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MacDonald (20-4), who holds the belt in the welterweight division (170 lbs), will be in the main event of Saturday’s card. He is moving up in weight to challenge middleweight (185 lbs) champion Gegard Mousasi (43-6-2), for the right to become a double champion. MacDonald is best known for his 2015 fight with Robbie Lawler, which is deemed by many to be the greatest fight in MMA history. He was joined at the Warriors practice by Douglas Lima (29-7), who was the promotion’s welterweight champion before losing to MacDonald in January.
For those who are a fan of both fighting and basketball, Saturday is a great day: The Warriors host the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first preseason game at 5:30 p.m., and the Bellator six-fight main card starts at 7:00 p.m.
For more coverage on Bellator 206, check out our sister sights MMA Fighting and Bloody Elbow.