Rory MacDonald was beaten, thrashed, bludgeoned, pounded, smashed and whatever other euphemism out there that can describe the carnage from UFC 189. A co-main event title fight against Robbie Lawler served as a one-way ticket to the hospital for the 25-year-old welterweight contender.
Rory MacDonald & Robbie Lawler at the hospital after epic #UFC189 fight. Respect personified. (pic by @Firas_Zahabi) pic.twitter.com/ryBSDjuIMK
— Mike Johnston (@MikeyJ_MMA) July 12, 2015
And he loved every second of it.
After throwing down with Lawler in one of the most exciting title fights in UFC history, MacDonald thanked his opponent on Twitter for what he deems “the best time” of his life. (Warning: The image may be disturbing to some):
thank you @Ruthless_RL @ufc @Firas_Zahabi this was the best time of my life, ill never forget this fight pic.twitter.com/vKgWD6mp6e
— Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) July 12, 2015
If a bloodied face and broken bones is what MacDonald considers a good time, I’d hate to see what he calls a bad time. Thousands in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas stood on their feet cheering on both fighters in a back-and-forth slugfest. Chants of “USA” were replaced by chants of “Rory,” which then reverted back to chants of “USA.”
According to UFC President Dana White, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press, MacDonald’s nose was broken in the first round, and he had trouble seeing and breathing throughout the fight.
Dana White says Rory MacDonald's nose got broken in the first round. Couldn't see or breathe. Afterward, he didn't know what year it was.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) July 12, 2015
Not only was his nose in shambles, but he was also fighting with a broken foot, according to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani after speaking with MacDonald’s head coach Firas Zahabi.
Rory MacDonald suffered a fractured nose and fractured right foot, per his coach @Firas_Zahabi.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 12, 2015
Lawler found a home for his left straight early in the fight, which is typically the desired punch for a southpaw fighter against an orthodox opponent. MacDonald appeared completely baffled after having his jab nullified by Lawler’s southpaw tactics the first time the two met back at UFC 167 nearly two years ago.
But MacDonald was better prepared in the second outing. He didn’t lean so heavily on the jab and found more success in the open guard fight leading with a straight punch. However, Lawler did significantly more damage early in the fight, which left MacDonald’s face looking like a busted up can of red paint.
MacDonald turned the tide of the fight in the third round with a head kick that put Lawler on wobbly legs. The UFC champ’s spotless face suddenly had the markings of a man who had been in a dog fight. MacDonald’s rally continued all the way into the fifth round, where he got cracked in the nose with a straight left hand that ended his title bid.
According to a report from Fox Sports, MacDonald would have won a decision on the scorecards if he made it out of the fifth round.
One more thing. Rory MacDonald was up going into R5 before Robbie Lawler pulled off that insane finish #UFC189 pic.twitter.com/byk5IaYN3G
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 12, 2015
MMAJunkie.com captured a brutal GIF (NSFW: Video contains graphic images) from the ending of the UFC welterweight title fight. It encapsulated all of the sacrifice that goes into being a fighter.
MacDonald gave everything he had until there was literally nothing left to give.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.
