The plan for Rory MacDonald ‘s next fight is to not set much of a plan. That’s according to his longtime trainer, Firas Zahabi, who on Thursday told MMAjunkie Radio that he’s hired new coaches to push the idea that MacDonald (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) stay loose and limber against submission specialist Demian Maia (18-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC). “He has to go in there and read and react, and not just have a cemented game plan,” Zahabi said. “The game plan has to be flexible. Ground-and-pound and MMA jiu-jitsu is very different from Brazilian jiu-jitsu.” Fans will find out whether MacDonald’s grappling is on par with Maia’s when they meet on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 170, which takes place Saturday at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.
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Zahabi: Lawler an inspiration for Rory MacDonald’s rebirth at UFC 170 – MMA Junkie