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Dana White called it the greatest fight ever. Despite being under promoted to the extent that it was almost hidden below the Conor McGregor show, the rematch for the welterweight championship between Robbie Lawler and challenger Rory Macdonald will be remembered for years to come. Two fighters at the absolute top of their game, giving everything they had for the right to be called champion.We’ll be talking about this fight for years to come. It wasn’t just a bloodbath, it wasn’t just a war, it was everything this sport is at its best. The UFC couldn’t have asked for a better advertisement for the sport. Take anyone who has never watched an MMA fight, show them this fight, and they will be a fan for life. It’s a fight that makes you remember why you love this sport so much. So what exactly made this fight so special? We look at 4 standout points.
#1 Robbie Lawler\'s Cinderella story
Robbie Lawler is almost unrecognizable from the fighter he was just 3 or 4 years ago. It’s easy to forget how one dimensional and clumsy he was. He had a power punch to match anyone in MMA, but that’s pretty much all he had. He was called the Mike Tyson of MMA but Mike Tyson never had to worry about wrestling and grappling or even kicks. In just three years though, Lawler has gone from an afterthought to a world champion. His successful championship defense against Macdonald mirrors his MMA career almost perfectly.
He started off in the UFC at the age of 20 in 2000. After mixed success initially, he established himself as a rising star. However, a series of losses led to him being cut by the promotion and many felt he would never fulfill all that potential. He struggled to establish himself outside the UFC working in small promotions before he was signed by strikeforce. When the UFC eventually decided to absorb Strikeforce, Lawler had a 3-5 record in the promotion. Yet, Lawler wasn’t one to quit. He found new life and went on a three fight win streak which included a win over Rory Macdonald at UFC 167.
Despite losing a title fight to Johny Hendricks via a close decision, Lawler worked his way back to being the number one contender and eventually beat Hendricks for the title. Going into this fight, Lawler was once again the underdog. It’s not a position he’s uncomfortable with. He has been an underdog his entire career. Every time you think he’s done, he comes back for more. Despite being the underdog, despite being down on the judges’ cards, Lawler kept moving forward, refusing to quit and knocked the young challenger out for the win.
#2 Rory Macdonald\'s heart
At the end of the first round, Rory Macdonald had a broken nose. He had to breathe through his mouth and was staring at 20 more minutes in a cage against one of the toughest human beings alive. By the end of the third round, Rory had fractured his foot. A series of head kicks did as much damage to him as they did to Lawler.
A lesser man would have thrown in the towel but they don’t call Rory Macdonald a psycho for nothing. Not only did he come back strong after taking a beating and losing the second round, he went on to win the next two rounds. The fourth one decisively so. Lawler continued to jab at the broken nose throughout the fight but Macdonald kept coming back for more. Eventually his nose shattered so bad that he couldn’t take it anymore but it’s amazing that he lasted as long as he did.
#3 The Head Kicks
After shading the first round without inflicting much damage, Rory Macdonald got lit up in the second round. He was bleeding profusely leading into the third and for the next 4 minutes and 30 seconds he got dominated. Lawler stuffed his takedowns, landed the punches he wanted and had Rory wobbling. Then came the rally. After a couple of his punches missed the mark, Rory threw a head kick. Robbie had his hand up and seemed to have blocked it. However, a second later he lowered his hands.
His movement stopped and he stood right in front of the Canadian. Though it didn’t look effective, that kick switched the momentum. Rory unloaded on Robbie, planted him against the cage and let his hands loose. Knees, jabs, hooks and uppercuts with 20 seconds remaining. Had there been 15 more seconds in that round, we would probably be sitting here talking about a new Welterweight champion. Robbie survived and emerged for the fourth round. Rory smelt blood and moved in for the kill.
Head kick after head kick after head kick. The crowd was going wild and the crowning of a new champion seemed to be moments away. We know what eventually happened but had it not been for that first head kick this would have been a procession for Lawler rather than a war. Robbie was dominating the fight, imposing his will on Rory, who was on the receiving end of a one sided beat down. Thanks to those kicks though, we got to see one of the greatest fights ever.
#4 Southpaw vs Orthodox
Fight promoters usually hate this match up. When a southpaw (standing with left foot back and right hand forward) faces off against someone who uses the orthodox stance (standing with right foot back and left hand forward), it causes both competitors to have their lead hand right next to one another. This makes getting clean punches tough and often leads to a fight, that while technically intriguing, lacks the fast pace, blood and guts action that promoters and most fans prefer. Jabs bounce off each other and often hit the opponent’s glove rather than his head.
Yet when you have martial artists of this caliber, the rules that seem to apply in most fights, don’t apply anymore. Both Macdonald and Lawler were able to establish their jab. Each moved around the other’s defenses to open up angles to strike from. It was what many had hoped for. An all action brawl. Yet, every punch and every kick was so technically perfect. This wasn’t just two guys swinging for the fences in the hopes that something would stick.
This was a chess match. It was organized chaos of the best kind. The footwork on display was perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the fight. Both men routinely circled around to the outside of the other’s front foot to get their shots in. Before the fight, many regarded this as a nailed on fight of the night winner. Yet there were murmurings about the possibility that it could turn into a tactical contest more than a street fight. Neither of those arguments proved to be wrong. It was a wild brawl, an out and out war, with some of the best technique in MMA mixed in.
