LAS VEGAS — No flights to ESPN or Los Angeles. No appearances on late-night talk shows. No trash talk to speak of. Rory MacDonald didn’t even steal Robbie Lawler’s belt once.
Lawler and MacDonald got to a few cities on the UFC 189 World Tour back in April, but that was it. The two men will fight for the welterweight title in the co-main event of UFC 189 on Saturday night at MGM Grand without doing any of the promotional heavy lifting. And that suits both of them just fine.
“It’s been a great ride,” MacDonald said at open workouts Tuesday. “We got to go on that tour they did. It’s been cool to be a part of it. I don’t think I’d like to be in the limelight like they are. But it’s part of the show.”
MacDonald and Lawler are two of the most fascinating fighters in the UFC — except when they’re asked about fighting. MacDonald will talk all day about his interests, from hunting and motorcycles to digital currency. Lawler, so comatose at press conferences that he once fell asleep during one, gets whipped into a frenzy when the topic is football.
Neither man really cares to play the hype game. You won’t catch Lawler talking about tea bagging anyone or MacDonald calling anyone a midget. What you will get is wholesale comments about working hard and getting better every day.
In this situation, it’s completely fine. Both men stand to make a boatload of money based on the main event of UFC 189: an interim featherweight title fight between lightning-rod Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes. McGregor was featherweight champ Jose Aldo’s foil until Aldo dropped out last week with a broken rib.
“It’s just business as usual,” Lawler said. “If I had to carry the show, I would do that. I’m just gonna go out there and be me and get in Rory’s face and get a knockout. I don’t really concentrate on the promotion as much. I’m just gonna be me and hope the crowd loves it.”
Lawler might have slipped Tuesday when he told UFC interviewer Megan Olivi that he was “the best fighter on the planet.” But don’t worry; no one heard him. The mic cut out during that particular sentence.
MacDonald at least did give some insight toward what this fight means to him. The Canadian lost to Lawler by decision in 2013 and said going into that bout that he was starting to lose some of his desire. The defeat changed him for the better.
“It re-motivated me,” MacDonald said. “It just lit the fire again. Sometimes the fire goes out a bit. It sparked the flame. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling hungry.”
While some UFC fighters might be offended to be playing an obvious second fiddle, Lawler and MacDonald are nearly thrilled by it. Usually, the title for the higher weight class gets top bidding on a pay-per-view, but there’s no hiding that UFC 189 is The Conor McGregor Show.
Lawler and MacDonald are simply part of a wildly talented supporting cast. Even if they won’t say it themselves, there’s no doubt that Lawler and MacDonald are two of the very best fighters in the world. They do exult in pleasing the fans, as long as it comes with fists, knees and shins and not their mouth.
When asked what’s different about being champion, Lawler said, “A lot more media obligations.
“People actually care what you have to say a little bit more. Other than that, business as usual. Just grinding away and trying to get better everyday, trying to do what got me that title.”
Which was not thumping his chest and proclaiming himself the king of any particular city. There’s nothing wrong with that. Especially on this card.