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Robbie Lawler will face Colby Covington this Saturday night (Aug. 3, 2019) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 5 in Newark, New Jersey in a Welterweight matchup that will have major championship implications. For Robbie, it’s a chance to break his two-fight skid and – as crazy as it sounds – sneak himself into a title fight sooner, rather than later.
Before he attempts to break “Chaos” and hand him his first lost in four years, let’s take a look back at one of Lawler’s most entertaining and brutal fights ever.
Back in July of 2015, Robbie once again found himself face-to-face with current Bellator MMA 170-pound king, Rory MacDonald, after having already defeated him two years prior. This time around, however, there was plenty more at stake as “Ruthless” was the reigning Welterweight champion looking for his first-ever title defense at the UFC 189 pay-per-view (PPV) event.
What ensued was one of the greatest fights in MMA history, as Rory and Robbie took it to one another from the jump, providing fight fans with one of the most violent, bloody and overall exciting fights to ever take place inside the eight-sided cage.
Indeed, for 24 minutes, the two men exchanged punches and kicks evenly, thought it was Robbie who seemed to be landing the harder strikes, busting up and battering Rory’s face repeatedly. Undeterred, McDonald hung tough and was determined to go strike-for-strike.
In round three, Lawler found himself in a little bit of danger after Rory rocked him with a high kick that had him retreating. Luckily for Robbie, he was able to weather the storm to escape the round. Opening up the fourth round, MacDonald once again picked up the pace, taking it to “Ruthless” with one combination after another, though the champ proved to be tough-as-nails once again.
By the end of round four, MacDonald and Robbie were both a bloody mess, and provided us with a memorable staredown before retreating to their respective corners. In the final frame, Lawler picked up the intensity. A minute in, Robbie clipped MacDonald right on his already-broken nose, which forced “Red King” to the ground to cover up and take the loss.
It was one of Lawler’s best performances, though UFC fans decided that this fight deserved the label as the best of all time. Now, “Ruthless” will look to get back into the championship mix by taking out his former American Top Team (ATT) training partner in Newark.
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