It was possibly the fight of the year. Robbie Lawler defended his UFC welterweight championship against Rory MacDonald in a fantastic bout that went into the fifth round Saturday night.
The opening round was slower than some may have expected, but it was not light on technique and drama. Lawler was more tactical against MacDonald in their rematch, and the Canadian challenger held his own against the champion. The first five minutes of the fight was hard to call.
The champion got his offense going in the second round. He was able to land more frequently with combinations. It looked like he was well on his way to defending the title without much issue as MacDonald sported a busted up nose. He was having issues breathing but remained active against Lawler.
MacDonald fired back in the third and fourth rounds. He hurt Lawler with a high kick, and it seemed as if he was just moments away from getting the fight stopped. Instead, Lawler showcased his champion’s resolve by staying in the fight. He routinely assured referee John McCarthy that he was OK. MacDonald won the two frames to set up a potentially decisive fifth and final round.
It wouldn’t last long. Lawler landed a vicious punch down the pipe right on MacDonald’s broken nose. The Canadian grabbed his face and went to the mat. The fight was called just one minute into the round. Lawler retained in a high-level affair with plenty of action.
After the fight, the two went to the hospital to get fixed up. It was there that they took a photo that will surely live on in MMA folklore. Both men were battered, but MacDonald more so. He looked like a Comic Con fanatic who did a Voldemort cosplay. The warriors posed for a picture that would make almost any fighter rethink this business.
The co-main event was not talked about nearly enough prior to UFC 189, but it will most certainly be discussed in the aftermath of all that happened. These two fighters put themselves in the history books.
These kinds of battles can take years off an athlete’s career. We should be grateful they stepped into the cage to put on a show for us. There was no backing down. It was a chess match between the elite fighters of the welterweight division. It is the championship fight that we hope to get when we purchase events.
Their wounds from UFC 189 tell the tale of their epic encounter. It shows the world how courageous they are for stepping into the cage to find out who the baddest at 170 pounds is. These are the fighters we should be celebrating. They entertain us with fisticuffs, and this is the result.
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