Rory MacDonald was supposed to be the heir apparent to the UFC welterweight title after teammate Georges St-Pierre retired. MacDonald has been one of the division’s best and a top contender, but fell short in his first title fight against Robbie Lawler.
MacDonald earned his title shot and rematch with Lawler in 2015 after picking up three straight wins against top contenders. The two finally squared off at UFC 189 and the fight lived up to all the hype. It was a five round war which left both men bloody and battered, but it was Lawler who came out on top, getting a stoppage win in the fifth round.
It looked like accumulation of damage that finally put MacDonald away:
About Robbie Lawler
Robbie Lawler has experienced the highs and lows of his profession more than most – the exhilarating victories, the crushing defeats and everything in between.
But nothing in his MMA career matched the night Lawler’s hand was raised in triumph and he became the UFC welterweight champion after 13 years in the sport.
Lawler’s split decision win over Johny Hendricks, who had beaten him at UFC 171 to win the title vacated by Georges St-Pierre, finally took Lawler to the top in a career that has been occasionally bumpy.
Lawler, who defeated Hendricks in their rematch at UFC 181 in December 2014, is one of the most vicious punchers in MMA, with 19 of his 25 wins coming via knockouts. But he also has 10 losses, the most by any champion in UFC history – proof, if nothing else, that his resilience has sustained him through the lows.
source: ufc.com
More about Rory MacDonald
TRAINING: I train one to two times a day Monday to Saturday, between jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, kickboxing and conditioning.
When and why did you start training for fighting? I have always enjoyed fighting since I was really little, and I have always watched boxing and MMA since I was a kid. So when I discovered a MMA gym in the town I live in (Kelowna BC) I went there and never left and eventually it evolved into me becoming a pro fighter.
source: ufc.com
