| Michael McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Robert McDonald (1991-01-15)January 15, 1991 (age 34) Modesto, California, United States |
| Other names | Mayday |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
| Style | Kickboxing,Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Fighting out of | Modesto, California, United States |
| Team | Oakdale MMA |
| Rank | Black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1] |
| Years active | 2007 – 2018 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Michael Robert McDonald (born January 15, 1991) is a retired Americanmixed martial artist. McDonald competed in theBantamweight division of theUFC, where he challenged for the interimUFC Bantamweight Championship at 22 years of age. He also competed in the Bantamweight division ofBellator MMA before retiring following another hand injury.
A professional fighter from 2007 to 2017, McDonald fought mostly in regional promotions in his home state ofCalifornia before signing withZuffa in 2010.
McDonald started training in kickboxing at the age of ten, turned to mixed martial arts at 13, started his amateur career at 14, and turned professional at 16 in 2007. He also has two brothers who had professional careers in mixed martial arts. He trains at Oakdale Mixed Martial Arts with the Last Stand Fight Team.[2] McDonald graduated in 2009 fromGrace M. Davis High School where he was voted Best Athlete and Most Likely to Succeed.[3]
He gained notable wins on the regional circuit defeating WEC veteranManny Tapia and formerWEC Featherweight Champion,Cole Escovedo. Against the latter, McDonald later avenged his only professional defeat, which also earned him the Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight title with a second-round KO. In the summer of 2010, he was listed as one of the top rising stars under the age of 25.[4]
In September 2010, at age 19, McDonald became the youngest fighter on theZuffa roster when he signed with the WEC. He defeated Clint Godfrey via first round submission in his promotional debut on November 11, 2010, atWEC 52.[5]
On October 28, 2010,World Extreme Cagefighting merged with theUltimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[6]
McDonald was expected to faceNick Pace on March 26, 2011, atUFC Fight Night 24.[7] However, Pace was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomerEdwin Figueroa.[8] McDonald won the fight via unanimous decision.[9] The fight was highly entertaining with both fighters exchanging strikes and submission attempts throughout the entire fight and earnedFight of the Night honors.[10]
McDonald facedChris Cariaso on May 30, 2011, atUFC 130, replacing an injuredNorifumi Yamamoto.[11] He won the fight via split decision.[12]
McDonald was expected to faceJohnny Eduardo on November 19, 2011, atUFC 139.[13] However, Eduardo was forced from the card with an injury and replaced by promotional newcomer Alex Soto.[14] McDonald defeated Soto via first-round KO, earningKnockout of the Night honors. McDonald clipped Soto with a counter right hand and then swarmed Soto with a flurry of punches against the fence, forcing the referee to stop the bout just 59 seconds into the first round.[15][16]
McDonald fought formerWEC Bantamweight ChampionMiguel Angel Torres on April 21, 2012, atUFC 145.[17] He won the fight via first round Knockout.[18]
On December 4, 2012, UFC PresidentDana White announced that the UFC Bantamweight ChampionDominick Cruz had reinjured his ACL requiring surgery and would be out for 6–9 months. McDonald faced the UFC Interim Bantamweight ChampionRenan Barão on February 16, 2013, atUFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald.[19] McDonald was competitive with capable take-down defense and crisp boxing - particularly in the first two rounds - but ultimately succumbed to Barão's more diverse skillset as he mixed in knees and kicks standing together with take-downs. Barão secured an arm-triangle choke at 3:57 of the fourth round, forcing the tap from McDonald. McDonald holds the record for being the youngest fighter to challenge a UFC Championship.[20]
McDonald facedBrad Pickett on August 17, 2013, atUFC Fight Night 26.[21] He dominated the first round, almost finishing Pickett with strikes before gaining a second round submission victory with atriangle choke.[22] The win also earned McDonald his firstSubmission of the Night award, and he and Pickett earned theFight of the Night bonus award as well.[23]
McDonald facedUrijah Faber on December 14, 2013, atUFC on Fox 9.[24] After a back and forth first round, Faber stunned McDonald in the second with a flurry of punches, McDonald went to the canvas and Faber jumped on him and finished the fight by submission due to a guillotine choke.[25]
After being sidelined for all of 2014 and 2015 nursing a litany of injuries, including multiple hand and wrist surgeries, McDonald returned to faceMasanori Kanehara on January 2, 2016, atUFC 195.[26][27] He won the fight via submission in the second round, after nearly being submitted himself by an arm-triangle choke in the preceding sequence of the fight.[28] The win also earned McDonald aPerformance of the Night bonus award.[29]
McDonald next facedJohn Lineker on July 13, 2016, atUFC Fight Night 91.[30] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round[31]
On March 16, 2017, McDonald announced that he was parting ways with the UFC due to their dealing with him "very dishonestly and disrespectfully."[32] On March 24, 2017, McDonald announced he signed a deal with Bellator MMA.
McDonald made his promotional debut on December 15, 2017, at Bellator 191 against Peter Ligier.[33] He won the fight by unanimous decision. McDonald broke his hand in the third round, resulting in his fourth hand surgery.[34]
McDonald next faced former Bellator Bantamweight ChampionEduardo Dantas on July 13, 2018, at Bellator 202. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[35] McDonald suffered another badly broken hand in the bout, leaving McDonald questioning whether his career could continue. The metacarpal bone in his left hand was shattered and crushed resulting in McDonald's fifth hand surgery. McDonald described the recovery from this surgery as "the worst pain of his life".[36]
McDonald announced his retirement from professional MMA competition on September 27, 2018.[37]
McDonald is now the owner and operator of Mayday's Custom Woodworks. McDonald started learning woodworking at the age of fourteen and launched his business in 2012 as supplemental income to his fighting career.
| 23 matches | 19 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 10 | 2 |
| By submission | 6 | 2 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19–4 | Eduardo Dantas | KO (punches) | Bellator 202 | July 13, 2018 | 1 | 0:58 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Retired after bout. |
| Win | 18–4 | Peter Ligier | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 191 | December 15, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Newcastle, England | |
| Loss | 17–4 | John Lineker | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker | July 13, 2016 | 1 | 2:43 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | |
| Win | 17–3 | Masanori Kanehara | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 195 | January 2, 2016 | 2 | 2:09 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 16–3 | Urijah Faber | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 | December 14, 2013 | 2 | 3:22 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Win | 16–2 | Brad Pickett | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen | August 17, 2013 | 2 | 3:43 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Submission of the Night. Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 15–2 | Renan Barão | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald | February 16, 2013 | 4 | 3:57 | London, England | For the interimUFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–1 | Miguel Torres | KO (punches) | UFC 145 | April 21, 2012 | 1 | 3:18 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 14–1 | Alex Soto | KO (punches) | UFC 139 | November 19, 2011 | 1 | 0:56 | San Jose, California, United States | Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 13–1 | Chris Cariaso | Decision (split) | UFC 130 | May 28, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas,Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–1 | Edwin Figueroa | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis | March 26, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Seattle, Washington, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 11–1 | Clint Godfrey | Submission (armbar) | WEC 52 | November 11, 2010 | 1 | 2:42 | Las Vegas,Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Cole Escovedo | KO (punches) | TPF 5: Stars and Strikes | July 9, 2010 | 2 | 1:12 | Lemoore, California, United States | Won theTPF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–1 | Manny Tapia | TKO (punches) | TPF 3: Champions Collide | February 4, 2010 | 1 | 4:31 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Carlos Garces | TKO (punches) | TPF 1: Tachi Palace Fights 1 | October 8, 2009 | 1 | 2:01 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Cole Escovedo | TKO (punches) | PFC 13: Validation | May 8, 2009 | 2 | 2:25 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Jason Georgianna | TKO (punches) | PFC 12: High Stakes | January 22, 2009 | 1 | 2:38 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Randy Rodoni | KO (punch) | Gladiator Challenge 86: Day of the Dead | November 2, 2008 | 1 | 0:47 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Fernando Arreola | Submission (D'Arce choke) | Gladiator Challenge 84: Bad Blood | September 7, 2008 | 1 | 3:49 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Javier Vargas | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge 81: Lights Out | July 27, 2008 | 1 | 1:38 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Steve Frano | TKO (punches) | Gladiator Challenge 78: No Limits | May 18, 2008 | 1 | 1:17 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Dominic Pena | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Gladiator Challenge 76: Alpha Dog Challenge | March 17, 2008 | 1 | 1:12 | Porterville, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Joe Corona | Submission (triangle choke) | Gladiator Challenge 71: Lock-N-Load | November 11, 2007 | 1 | 1:17 | Porterville, California, United States |
