Tag: Rory MacDonald

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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Rory MacDonald opens up about decision to retire from MMA: ‘It’s not who I am anymore’

Rory MacDonald kept it brutally honest on his decision to walk away from MMA.

[autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] knows one thing for certain – he’s done with MMA.

The former Bellator champion and long-time UFC welterweight contender hung up his gloves this past weekend, after competing under the PFL banner. MacDonald (23-10-1) was stopped in the first round of his welterweight contest against short-notice replacement Dilano Taylor at 2022 PFL 8. The bout was part of the promotion’s welterweight semifinals.

Not long after the defeat, MacDonald announced he was walking away from the sport. Although it was a decision that many didn’t see coming, given MacDonald never indicated he was close to retiring, the Canadian knew it was time, and he’s known for quite some time.

“It’s been on my mind for a while,” MacDonald said on The MMA Hour. “I feel like it’s been quite a few fights where I’ve actually questioned it, but just wasn’t ready (to retire).

“I felt like I could still have that resurgence in my career. I had a goal, and I was driven, and I know in the practice room I could do certain things, but I just wasn’t able to do it in the cage when it came time, when rubber meets the road. Unfortunately, there’s a difference from what you can do in the practice room and under those lights. I just don’t have that certain thing, that spirit, that heart to go out there and get it done anymore. And every fight for a while now, it’s been diminishing now. I see it more and more.

“This (PFL) season was kind of my last hurrah. I was all in. I was going to put everything I could possibly put into this, and if I was successful, I was just going to keep going with it and go towards my goals, but if I fall short that would be the end.”

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MacDonald was playing it by ear going into the PFL semifinals, but deep down he knew retirement was looming. MacDonald lost that night in Cardiff, but even if victorious, the feeling he got in the cage confirmed he needed to walk away.

“In this last fight, even if I would’ve put up a better fight and lost or even if I had won, just the feeling that I had in that fight was confirmation to me that this isn’t for me anymore,” MacDonald said. “It’s not who I am anymore. So I have to listen to that.”

MacDonald revealed he’s been feeling uncomfortable in the cage for quite some time. It became evident that he had doubts about his fighting career after losing to Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 206 in 2018 – a fight where he was attempting to become a two-division champion in Bellator.

Although it’s been years since MacDonald has been grappling with retirement, the 33-year-old is happy he kept fighting, as he now has no doubts on his decision to end his illustrious fighting career.

“No, I think I needed to (keep fighting),” MacDonald said. “I needed to get it out of my system. Now, when I walked out of the cage, obviously I was disappointed getting knocked out, but I’m very much at peace with it.

“I know very much for certain that I don’t want to fight anymore. If I had hung it up before, I think I would’ve probably circled back to it, and it would’ve been more of a drawn-out process. I just had to finish whatever it was and get it out of my system.”

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Spinning Back Clique: Dana White’s comments to GQ on fighter pay, Marlon Vera a serious UFC title contender, more

“Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show, discusses what to make of Dana White’s stance on fighter pay, Marlon Vera’s big win, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our panel of Danny Segura, Simon Samano and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • The biggest fight from this past weekend saw [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] defeat [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] in the main event at UFC on ESPN 41 in San Diego. Both men fought well, with Cruz taking a 2-1 lead going into Round 4. Cruz had been very active and put lots of pressure on “Chito,” while Vera was patient but potent. And then BOOM! A head kick ended the fight in the fourth to mark four wins in a row for Vera, who entered as No. 5 bantamweight in the official UFC rankings. How seriously should Vera be taken as a title contender at 135 pounds?
  • California, which sanctioned UFC on ESPN 41, is one of the few states that releases fighter pay, and that’s always an interesting discussion. The numbers for this event came out after UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] made some eye-raising comments to GQ about fighter pay in which he said raises are “never gonna happen while I’m still here” while also making claims about fighters, as a whole, getting a cut of pay-per-views, which isn’t accurate (unless something significant has changed without being announced). What did you think of White’s latest musings on this topic, and what did you first think when you saw the UFC on ESPN 41 salaries?
  • The UFC has strayed from the standard four fighters receiving $200,000 total in bonuses on more than one occasion this year, and it would’ve been nice for UFC on ESPN 41, but that wasn’t the case. Only Vera (Performance), Tyson Nam (Performance) and Nate Landwehr vs. David Onama (Fight) received an extra $50,000 on a night when there were a bunch of finishes and deserving performances. Are you OK with the randomness of extra bonuses, or should the UFC have a standard formula (i.e. all finishers get a bonus) across the board?
  • At 33, [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] announced his retirement from MMA this past weekend after he was TKO’d by short-notice replacement Dilano Taylor. It was a stunning exit from the PFL welterweight playoffs for MacDonald, which apparently signaled to him that it was time to hang up his gloves. Simple questions: What is MacDonald’s legacy in this sport?
  • Looking ahead to this weekend, there is a boat load of big fights coming our way between UFC 278, 2022 PFL Playoffs 3 and, oh yeah, BKFC London, which features [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] up against [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] and the return of [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]. What fight are you targeting to possibly steal the show, and why?

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