UFC Plans Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler Fight, but No Date or Location Yet

Courtesy of Damon Martin and official MMAWeekly.com content partner Bleacher Report.

Rory MacDonald won’t get the match-up he’s been requesting for his next fight, but he certainly has a tall order on his hands.

The Canadian welterweight had been asking the UFC for a second shot at top three fighter Carlos Condit after he lost to him just a few years ago at UFC 115 in a brutal TKO, which accounts for his only professional loss as a fighter.

Condit is awaiting his fight in about 10 days when he takes on Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night 27 in Indianapolis, so in the mean time the UFC has opted to move forward with another bout for MacDonald.

MacDonald will now face knockout artist Robbie Lawler in a welterweight showdown later this year, although a date and location have not been named for the newly confirmed bout.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the fight when speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the UFC Fight Night 26 post-fight press conference on Saturday evening.

“We like that fight. I think so yeah,” White said when asked if MacDonald vs. Lawler was going to happen.

White did say “no” when asked if the UFC had a date or location planned for the welterweight bout.

Lawler has been on fire since coming back to the UFC earlier this year, which marked nearly nine years between appearances in the promotion.

The former Strikeforce fighter dropped back down to welterweight once he returned to the UFC, and made an immediate impact in his return when he knocked out former title contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 157.

He then looked just as impressive in his second fight where he landed a thunderous head kick to finish off Bobby Voelker at UFC on Fox 8 in July.

Now Lawler will take another step forward in the division when he takes on a top three-ranked welterweight in MacDonald.

There are several possibilities in terms of which show a fight between MacDonald and Lawler could land on this year. The UFC has already filled out the schedule for pay-per-views and main events all the way through the end of December 2013, but there are plenty of spots to fill for upcoming UFC Fight Night cards on Fox Sports 1.

The UFC has committed to several shows that will take place on Wednesday nights throughout the fall and winter months, and a MacDonald vs. Lawler bout could be the perfect fight to fill one of the main event slots.

Whatever show it ends up on, MacDonald vs. Lawler will have definite impact on the welterweight rankings with both fighters gunning for title contention in the next 12 months.

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