#4 ‘5th Round’ ‘Split-Lip’ Lawler
‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler (27-11-1) is a former UFC Welterweight (WW) champion and EliteXC, Superbrawl and ICON Sport Middleweight (MW) champion. His MMA base is boxing and wrestling. Rory ‘Red’ King Macdonald (18-4) is a former King Of The Cage (KOTC) Lightweight champion (LW) and former UFC top contender, now fighting in Bellator’s WW division.
One of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport, Macdonald’s MMA base is kick boxing, wrestling and BJJ.
Lawler defended his UFC strap for the first time against Macdonald at UFC 189 in July of 2015, in one of the greatest fights of all time. Having previously out-pointed Macdonald at UFC 167 in 2013, Lawler out-boxed the Canadian star prospect for the better part of three rounds in the rematch as well.
However, Macdonald turned their UFC 189 rematch upside down, by landing a perfect right roundhouse head kick on his ‘Ruthless’ opponent; putting Lawler on jelly-legs and sending him staggering towards the fence.
Macdonald brutalised Lawler with a flurry of punches, kicks, elbows and knees along the fence, slicing open an obscene cut on his head and splitting the champion’s lip. Lawler survived and after a close fourth round, came back to destroy Macdonald’s busted-up nose in the fifth, defeating the Canadian by TKO and retaining his title.
During the post-fight interviews, UFC President Dana White stated that Lawler’s lip-gash was the grossest thing he had ever seen in his life, a cut that extended from Lawler’s upper-lip to his right cheekbone.
Robbie Lawler’s split-lip smile is one of the most iconic photographs as well as nastiest facial injuries in Octagon history.
