MacDonald: Lawler fight was the ‘greatest moment of my life’
Rory MacDonald: “Obviously I’m disappointed that I didn’t win, I wasn’t able to push through and stop him, but at the end of the day, it was just a once-in-a-lifetime experience…”
At UFC 189, Rory MacDonald was on the losing end of perhaps the greatest welterweight title fight in history. And although he didn’t come out on top, reflecting back, MacDonald can see the positive in the experience:
“The greatest moment of my life,” MacDonald said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “The best experience, it was a real experience, it showed me who I was. It was the best moment of my entire life. Obviously I’m disappointed that I didn’t win, I wasn’t able to push through and stop him, but at the end of the day, it was just a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m grateful for it.”
MacDonald went into the final round up three rounds to one on the judges scorecards, a score he said he found accurate. But he refuses to let himself get caught up in “what if” scenarios, simply tipping his cap to the foe who found a way to finish him and vowing to learn from the experience.
“The reality is, he stopped me. I wasn’t slipping his punches when I should have been, I wasn’t using good technique and movement, you know? The foot was keeping me stationary, and he did what he had to do. He’s the champ for a reason. I learned from it.
“I think it’s going to help me grow as a martial artist,” MacDonald continued. “It shows me what it’s going to take to be a champion, and the changes I need to make to get to that level, to get a little bit better so I can get to that level.”