PFL 3: Brett Cooper Feels Himself and Rory MacDonald Have “Equal Experience on the Elite Level”

PFL welterweight Brett Cooper has a considerable challenge ahead of him at PFL 3, in the form of former Bellator champion and UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald.

Yet like MacDonald, Cooper is a veteran who has been fighting since 2005. The same year MacDonald turned pro. And having fought all over — in the IFL, Affliction, Bellator, and now the PFL — he feels his experience at the elite level of the sport is equivalent to MacDonald’s.

“I feel like we’ve had equal experience on the elite level. He’s obviously been more popular, and the reason he’s been more popular is because he fought in the UFC,” Cooper (28-15) said during this week’s PFL 3 media day. “I’ve fought everywhere except the UFC— Bellator, PFL now, and every other big organization.”

In terms of profile and popularity at least, Cooper sees Rory MacDonald as “the path I could have had.” The Canadian has “done really well for himself, but I feel like I match up with him well, and the experience is pretty equal I’d say.”

He views the fight through a unique lens as well, noting that both himself and MacDonald were mixed martial artists from day one. “I feel like it’s the battle of first generation of MMA fighters. We both started MMA at the start. We didn’t wrestle, or box, or kickbox. We both started doing everything all at once. So it’ll be interesting to see how we match up together.”

Brett Cooper meets Rory MacDonald at PFL 3 this Friday, May 6, 2022, in Arlington, Texas. Watch the rest of Cooper’s media day appearance above. More coverage can be found below.