This was not a fight but a w.a.r
The last time the world saw Robbie Lawler, it was a gruesome sight. Drenched in the blood of his enemy, with an upper lip literally cleaved in two, Lawler landed the left straight that brought an end to one of the grisliest contests in mixed martial art's young history. From that moment on, there was never any doubt that Lawler and Rory MacDonald's UFC 189 rematch would win ‘Fight of the Year' honors. The only question was how the two welterweights would be affected moving forward.
Lawler seems to have recovered well from the fight saying that it was not tough on him physically, it was tough on him visually. He has put together a 7-1 record since re-entering the UFC in 2013. His highlight reel over that time includes brutal knockouts over the likes of Josh Koscheck and Jake Ellenberger, plus wars of attrition against the best the division has to offer.
Six months later, the MacDonald rematch stands as Lawler's masterwork, a back-and-forth marvel of technical brilliance that many observers still count among the greatest fights ever staged. With so many wild swings in momentum, the margin of error for both fighters was impossibly thin heading into the match's final round. Even though Lawler was trailing 39-37 on all three judges' scorecards, he never felt like he was on the losing side.
Lawler pushed through and was able to finish what he later called an "accumulation of a beatdown" with a ferocious left straight that sent MacDonald sinking to the canvas. For a fighter whose entire career could be summarized as a comeback story, the finish couldn't have been any more fitting according to Lawler.
It's clear that he's happy to have shown the world who he is inside as a fighter.
Watch the fight here:
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