Rory MacDonald has an official date and opponent for his highly anticipated Bellator debut.

The former UFC welterweight title challenger made headlines across the MMA landscape last year when he chose not to re-sign with his longtime promotional home and chose to take his talents to the Bellator stage. Since inking his contract news surrounding the British Columbia native has been relatively quiet, but that all changed on Thursday afternoon in London.

At a media attended press conference, Bellator President Scott Coker announced "The Red King" will face Paul Daley in the main event at Bellator London on May 19. Card info. While multiple sources confirmed the promotion was attempting to pair the British slugger with rising welterweight talent Michael "Venom" Page, that fight fell apart when Daley refused to sign the contract.

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A showdown between dynamic strikers would have been a fan-friendly affair, but a matchup against one of the top-ranked welterweight fighters in the world was undoubtedly difficult for Daley to pass up.

The 27-year-old Canadian ended his UFC run on back-to-back losses, and will be looking to turn things around under the Bellator banner. MacDonald will have a stern challenge in front of him in Daley, as "Semtex" possesses knockout power in both hands.

The main event tilt will be one of the most high profile bouts in Bellator history, and serves as yet another signal of the increase in firepower the promotion is bringing to the table in 2017.