Despite the fact that he has yet to make his Bellator debut, welterweight contender Rory MacDonald already knows that he chose the right promotion to call home after parting ways with the UFC.

For the majority of the time that former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald spent on the sport’s biggest stage, the UFC was a much different promotion than it is today. Over the past two years, matchups have become less about a fighter’s standing within the weight class and more about pay-per-view potential. And some feel that the relatively recent sale of the UFC has robbed the promotion of an intangible quality that they can’t quite put their finger on.

But after the UFC chose against matching outside offers for his services following last summer’s loss to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, MacDonald left the ever-changing promotion in order to ply his trade under the Bellator banner. While MacDonald won’t make his promotional debut until he meets Paul Daley at Bellator 179 on May 19, he talked about some of the differences he’s already noticed between the sport’s top two promotions since joining Scott Coker and company during Tuesday’s Bellator 179 media conference call.

“Basically, I’ve just been more in touch with the promoters,” said MacDonald. “You know, giving my outlook on things, how I want things to go when it comes to the promotion of myself. You know, just more involved rather than just being another guy in the line, another number or another sheep. So I just feel more respected. There’s more attention to detail when it comes to the promotion of myself.”

Recently, several well-known fighters have voiced their displeasure over a variety of the UFC’s decisions. Former middleweight king Anderson Silva has threatened to hang his gloves up for good if he’s not given a bout for the division’s interim title at UFC 212 in Brazil. The promotion’s deal with Reebok, which prohibits UFC fighters from wearing anything other than that brand in the Octagon, has also caused tension between the UFC and its fighters.

MacDonald has never been known to publicly fan the flames of discontent, which is one reason why his opinion is worth listening to. But during Tuesday’s Bellator 179 media conference call, he insinuated that his new employers have locked on to a recipe for success when it comes to recognizing the value of every individual on their growing roster.

“Because you know, I think Bellator gets it that they want to build a character around each and every guy on their roster,” said MacDonald. “They want to build up the names and let people see the real side of them. But the UFC has kind of lost that and everybody is wearing the same thing and everybody is trying to be Conor McGregor. So it’s lost its feel over there a little bit.”

While MacDonald instantly became one of Bellator’s top welterweights the second he signed his contract, the Canadian has some work to do before we’ll know if he has what it takes to become the promotion’s 170-pound champ. But either way, it sounds like he’s more than happy with his new MMA home.