Rory MacDonald was never quite the same after fighting UFC rival Robbie Lawler.
Nearly a decade removed from their UFC Hall of Fame fight, the world has not yet forgotten the bloody scenes of Lawler vs. MacDonald 2 at UFC 189 in 2015.
Then welterweight champion Robbie Lawler broke MacDonald’s nose in round 2 of their five-round fight, but MacDonald wouldn’t let up as he tore Lawler’s lip and almost finished the fight in round 3.
One of the most violent fighters in MMA history, Lawler battered and bloodied MacDonald for a TKO stoppage in the final round to defend his title.
Lawler was 33 at the time and MacDonald was 25 for his only UFC title fight. Once thought of as a super-prospect to carry on the torch from all-time great Georges St-Pierre, the Canadian’s UFC career was cut short after this all-time war.
Rory MacDonald left the UFC following another defeat to Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and he experienced more losses than wins in the PFL and Bellator.
Robbie Lawler says Rory MacDonald’s sacrifice likely took its toll
Once 18-2 as a pro with wins over Tyron Woodley, BJ Penn and Nate Diaz, MacDonald went 5-8-1 from 2015 on.
“You guys gave everything you had,” former two-division champion Henry Cejudo said of MacDonald and Lawler’s grueling battle at UFC 189.
“I think that took a little bit of Rory, even though he gave everything—I don’t feel like he came back the same. What do you think it was about that fight that pretty much changed both of your guys lives? Lot of people consider this the most vicious fight in UFC history,” Cejudo added.
“I can’t speak for him, but you give it your all,” Lawler explained.
“Your training camp, the time you put in, the tactics that, obviously, those guys have at Tristar put in time and effort into little tricks and details to get the job done.
“At some point in time, you take those things away and it’s a fight. And that’s what it came down to at the end, and his body was done. He probably drank a whole bunch of blood because his nose was bleeding.
“It was just definitely a vicious fight and he put in that much time and to not get the victory…
“It can take a toll on you,” Lawler said of MacDonald.
Rory MacDonald says Jack Della Maddalena would’ve been an ‘interesting fight’
Coming up short in his war against Robbie Lawler, we never really saw Rory MacDonald reach his full potential. The former Bellator champion retired at the age of 33 and has not fought since 2022.
MacDonald was recently asked who he would love to fight in the UFC currently, if he were in his prime.
His answer? UFC 315 headliner Jack Della Maddalena, who fights Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title this Saturday.
“I really liked JDM as a welterweight,” MacDonald told Tim Welch.
“He is super. I like his style. I think that would’ve been an interesting fight,” the retired fighter said.
Della Maddalena is 17-2 as a pro, a talented boxer with an eerily similar record to MacDonald’s at the time of his first title fight.
While Rory MacDonald may have missed out on his prime and this new wave of welterweights, ‘Red King’ went 9-4 in the Octagon overall and defeated the likes of Paul Daley and Douglas Lima during his Bellator title run, years after giving it his all vs. Robbie Lawler.