Tag: Rory MacDonald

UFC free fight: Robbie Lawler outlasts Rory MacDonald in brutal title rematch war

Watch Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald go to war in a brutal title fight that got inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] and [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] gave fans one of the greatest, if not the greatest, UFC championship fight of all time.

Back in July 2015, Lawler and MacDonald met in a rematch for the UFC welterweight title. The two had fought previously in 2013 in a highly competitive non-title fight that ended in a split decision favoring Lawler. This time around, Lawler was the champion, and MacDonald entered the fight as the challenger.

The fight almost went the full distance, as it lasted 24 minutes. In the end, Lawler outlasted MacDonald in a grueling war to get the TKO finish. The bout had tons of blood, cuts, near-fight ending shots, and several swings of momentum between the two. Many regard this war as one of the most brutal fights in modern UFC history.

You can watch Lawler’s impressive title winning performance against MacDonald in the video above.

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On this date in MMA history, Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald delivered a UFC Hall of Fame-worthy bloodbath

Nine years ago today, a couple pints of blood were splattered across the canvas during one of the best fights in UFC history.

Nine years ago today, a couple pints of blood were splattered across the canvas during one of the best fights in UFC history.

At UFC 189 in 2015, [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] beat challenger [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] to defend the welterweight title in a bloody, brutal and classic rematch in Las Vegas.

After four rounds, with blood everywhere, the two stared each other down before they were physically separated to return to their corners.

In a close fight, Lawler finally made some headway in the fifth when he shattered MacDonald’s nose, then finished him for a TKO win. The bout went into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing in 2023.

You can watch the all-time classic above, and don’t miss the best photos from the bloody battle below.

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MMA Junkie’s 2013 top 25 fighters 25 or younger revisited: 10 years hence, where are they now?

A little more than 10 years later, how do our 25 best fighters 25 or younger hold up?

In 2013, MMA Junkie, with the backing of the USA Today mothership, put out a specialty magazine.

MMA Junkie’s “Power” issue was our look, in the middle of that year, at the most influential people in the sport.

The Power list of influential people, not surprisingly, has shifted over the past 10 years. But another key component of the magazine was our look at the top 25 fighters who were 25 or younger at the time.

In mid-2013, when the issue was released, Jon Jones was the light heavyweight champion and working on his fifth title defense – and hadn’t yet turned 26 when the issue was in production. And you’d be safe to presume he made the list.

But who else was on there – and more importantly, how did those fighters pan out? We hit some home runs with our predictions, but there may have been a misfire or two.

Here’s a look back at the Top 25 25 and Younger from our 2013 “Power” issue.

Top 5 rematches in MMA history, ranked

From UFC classics to a PRIDE FC gem, these rematches provided some of the most memorable action in the history of the sport.

When it comes to rematches in mixed martial arts, there seems to be little room for mediocrity whether we’re talking about the expectation or the result.

If the first fight captured our imaginations, then we as human beings tend to let expectations run wild when going into the second meeting. But as far as results go, MMA sequels seem to either continue to pile on the action atop the intrigue of the horror a la “Aliens,” or they just end up leaving us with that feeling we had when we walked out of “The Matrix Reloaded.”

That said, this sport has given us plenty of “Godfather 2” candidates over the years that are worth acknowledging.

So, with that in mind, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the most memorable sequels in MMA by listing my top five rematches of all time.

As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top five.

So, without further ado …

Top 5 welterweight wars in MMA history, ranked

That UFC 189 war between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald was something else, wasn’t it?

Although the welterweight class in MMA is decently heavier than its contemporaries in other combat sports, it keeps in the tradition of offering a rich history of memorable battles.

Japanese organizations like Shooto have typically referred to fighters between 156-171 lbs. as “middleweights,” while the UFC’s 170-pound division dates back to the late 90s when the organization anointed its first welterweight champion, [autotag]Pat Militech[/autotag], at UFC 17.5 in Brazil.

Since then, the division has produced a slew of great fights and Hall of Fame fighters alike.

It’s impossible to properly pay homage to all the best bouts that have gone down at 170 pounds, so I’ll instead widdle down my list to my favorite welterweight wars.

Whether we’re talking about back-and-forth battles or brutally bloody affairs, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of my favorite fights from the weight class.

As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top five.

So, without further ado …

2023 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony: Live blog, highlights

Check out our 2023 UFC Hall of Fame live blog featuring highlight moments and quotes from the ceremony in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The 2023 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Thursday evening at T-Mobile Arena.

The event airs live on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 10 p.m. ET, with red carpet interviews with fighters, commentators, and others taking place ahead of the official ceremony.

The 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class includes:

  • [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] – Modern Wing
  • [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] – Modern Wing
  • [autotag]Jens Pulver[/autotag] – Pioneer Wing
  • [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] – Pioneers Wing
  • [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] 2, UFC 189 – Fight Wing

Check out our live blog below featuring highlight moments and quotes from the event.

Robbie Lawler def. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting one of the greatest fights in MMA history – Robbie Lawler’s win over Rory MacDonald at UFC 189.

Check out these photos highlighting one of the most memorable fights in MMA history – [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag]’s TKO win over [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] to retain the welterweight title at UFC 189 from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports)

 

 

Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald from UFC 189 joins 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class

The epic battle between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald from UFC 189 will join this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class.

The epic battle between [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] and [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] from UFC 189 will join this year’s UFC Hall of Fame class.

The promotion announced during Saturday’s UFC 287 broadcast that the brutal welterweight title bout from July 2015, which saw Lawler defeat MacDonald by fifth-round TKO at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will be enshrined in the Fight Wing of the hall as part of the 2023 induction class.

“The fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory McDonald at UFC 189 was one of the most exciting fights in UFC history,” UFC president Dana White said in a news release. “This was an absolute war and a complete display of heart, grit, determination and the will to win from both athletes. This five-round classic will always be remembered as one of the best, and I can’t wait to induct this fight into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

Lawler vs. MacDonald 2 joins the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class alongside the inductions of former UFC champions Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo and Jens Pulver.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.

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Farewell, fighters: A list of former UFC champs and more MMA notables who retired in 2022

The MMA world said goodbye to more than 35 notable fighters in 2022, from former UFC champions to future UFC Hall of Famers and more.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently fighters from the era that helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves to move on to the next chapters in their lives.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete and, perhaps more importantly, get a payday will continue to drive fighters back, even well beyond their expiration dates.

In 2022, there was an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are retired, and we have a list of those who opted to walk away last year.

Video: What is Rory MacDonald’s MMA legacy?

Rory MacDonald announced his retirement earlier this week after he was bounced from the PFL playoffs.

[autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] announced his retirement earlier this week after he was bounced from the PFL playoffs.

MacDonald came to the PFL in 2021 after a run in Bellator in which he won the welterweight title. But he went 1-2 in his first season in the promotion and lost in the semifinals of the playoffs. This year, he suffered the same fate and was knocked out by short-notice replacement underdog Dilano Taylor.

After he was denied a shot at the $1 million welterweight final for the second straight year, the Canadian hung up his gloves. At 33, it would seem he had plenty of time left in the sport. But he had his first pro fight when he still was a teenager and has been fighting professionally for nearly 17 years.

He cited that lengthy time in a grueling sport as one of the reasons he’s walking away from a career that included a King of the Cage title, 13 UFC fights, a UFC title shot and a Bellator title.

But over the past nearly eight years, “The Red King” went 5-8-1 and lost five of his final seven bouts, starting with when he dropped the Bellator welterweight title. So just what will his MMA legacy be?

That’s what we asked our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Simon Samano, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura, along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out their reaction in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video below.

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