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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald didn’t immediately set out to be a two-division titleholder. But when Gegard Mousasi defected to the Viacom-owned promotion, he started thinking about it.

And when Mousasi (44-6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) trounced Rafael Carvalho in May, MacDonald (20-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) had made up his mind, enough to text Bellator President Scott Coker and more or less declare, “We’ve got to make this fight happen.”

“I think he didn’t want to rush into it,” MacDonald told MMAjunkie in advance of his DAZN-streamed superfight against Mousasi at Bellator 206, which takes place Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. “He wanted to make sure he could connect the dots first.”

A welterweight grand prix was the future Coker envisioned for MacDonald, who bemoaned a lack of activity since winning the belt in January. When fans started talking up a superfight, however, the Bellator president decided to take a detour to put it together.

MacDonald, 29, couldn’t be any happier with the way things turned out. Now, he’s got a set schedule and a list of potential opponents – Jon Fitch being the first of three potential opponents in the grand prix. He’s also got a chance to cement his place in MMA history as a two-division champion in a major promotion, something only three fighters – Dan Henderson, Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier – have been able to accomplish so far.

“It could be one of those fights that make my name,” MacDonald said. “It’s rare that you get a multi-weight champ, so it’s cool. It’s a great opportunity to be recognized in the sport as someone who’s not afraid to take risks.”

But even if this risk doesn’t pay off, there’s still plenty of work to do in the welterweight division.

For more on Bellator 206, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.