VIDEO | Rory MacDonald calls for headbutts in MMA

Former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald, who is scheduled to make his Bellator debut against Paul Daley in London on May 19, is one of the best welterweights on earth. He’s also an advocate for a much more primal ruleset for the sport of mixed martial arts.

MacDonald has discussed his desire for a baser set of rules in the past. In a recent interview with London Real, he reiterated this desire, suggesting that not only kicks to a grounded opponent, but also headbutts should be allowed in mixed martial arts:

His words:

“Maybe one ten minute round, or two ten minute rounds, or one twenty minute round or something like that” MacDonald said when asked how the sport would look in his perfect world. “Or at least scoring the fight as a whole, rather than a per round basis, because sometimes I watch a fight and I’m thinking ‘this guy won the fight, but on my scorecards, [the other] guy won.’ It’s kind of weird like that.” 

“[There are] a couple rules I would change, too,” he said. “The knees on the ground to the head, the kicks to the head on the ground…a lot of the elbows…headbutts, they’d have to be in it. There were some crazy fights back in the day by Mark Coleman. He dominated. The fact that headbutts aren’t allowed, that’s a really crappy thing.”

While MacDonald would love to see these adjustments made to the rules of MMA, however, he knows it will probably never happen.

“It’ll never happen,” he said. “It’s become a mainstream sport so it’s got to be somewhat clean cut, as brutal as it is.”

Do you think headbutts should be allowed in MMA? What changes would you make to the rules? Is Rory MacDonald crazy? Sound off, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/4/2017.