Scott Coker and the rest of the Bellator brass got a nice return on their investment, as high-prized free-agent signing Rory MacDonald put on a dominant performance against Paul Daley at Bellator 179 last Friday in London.

From the opening bell, the former UFC title challenger controlled the matchup, finishing the fight with a second-round submission and notching his first win since October 2014. MacDonald (19-4) now will face the winner of the welterweight title fight between champion Douglas Lima and promotional newcomer Lorenz Larkin on June 24 at Bellator NYC.

If the California-based promotion wants to fully maximize its investment, MacDonald's next fight should be in his home country of Canada.

Since Coker took over Bellator MMA in June 2014, international expansion has been at the forefront. The Viacom-owned promotion has hosted events in Italy, Hungary, Ireland, and even Israel. However, Canada has become an afterthought, despite the promotion hosting seven events during Bjorn Rebney's tenure in the "Great White North."

May 2014 was the last time Canadian fight fans were treated to an event, as Bellator 119 took place at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario. Headliner Daniel Weichel took home the Season 10 featherweight tournament title after submitting Desmond Green in the second round.

It was a lackluster card to say the least, with the only bright spot being Brian Rogers' highlight-reel flying knee knockout over Adrian Miles. Canadian fight fans are starving for MMA, and with the UFC unlikely to host events in three major Canadian cities this year -- Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal - Bellator should take advantage.  



Along with MacDonald, Bellator also has talented Canadian fighters in Julia Budd and Valerie Letourneau on the roster.

Budd (10-2) recently won the vacant women's featherweight title after she defeated Marloes Coenen by knockout at Bellator 174. The 34-year-old Budd hasn't lost since 2011 and is currently riding a eight-fight winning streak.

Letourneau (8-6), meanwhile, only recently signed with Bellator but will now be competing in her proper weight class as she enters the flyweight division. The American Top Team product went 3-3 in the UFC as a strawweight, with one of those losses coming against champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

Both MacDonald and Budd are from British Columbia, making Vancouver an interesting option should the promotion decide to venture there for the first time. Toronto hosted the second-largest event in MMA history with UFC 129 in 2011 and has one of the strongest fan bases in Canada, so that is always an option as well.

MacDonald also headlined UFC Fight Night 89 in neighboring Ottawa last year against Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. Montreal is always on the radar, too. It makes a lot of sense with MacDonald training at Tristar and Letourneau being originally from La Belle Province. Interestingly enough, Bellator has never hosted an event in Quebec.

Many pundits have argued that MacDonald's departure from the UFC's welterweight division hasn't hurt its bottom line, but where it does become a factor is in the Canadian markets. Outside of Misha Cirkunov, there aren't any notable Canadians on the UFC roster today who could headline a pay-per-view, let alone a Fight Night Card.

Bellator has the opportunity to revive one of MMA's strongest fan bases, and it starts with MacDonald headlining his next fight in Canada.

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