Robbie Lawler And Rory MacDonald In Classic For UFC Welterweight Title, Huge Finishes At UFC 189

By Sean Ross Sapp

Rory MacDonald walked into UFC 189 looking to fulfill lofty expectations placed on him by MMA fans and media. He walked into round 5 of his championship fight with Robbie Lawler in control. He walked out of Las Vegas looking like Lord Voldemort. Robbie Lawler is still your UFC Welterweight Champion.

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The two started slow, but sped up and didn't let their feet off the gas pedal. Arguably the best fight of the night, MacDonald was up 3-to-1 on all of the judges' scorecards going in to round 5. A huge left hand shattered MacDonald's nose and gave Lawler an unlikely and shocking comeback victory. He's the first man not named Georges St-Pierre to defend the UFC Welterweight title successfully since Matt Hughes in 2006.

See Also: Conor McGregor Makes History At UFC 189, Makes Comeback To Claim Championship Over Chad Mendes

MacDonald utilized his range to perfection during rounds 1, 3 and 4. Lawler was magnificent at stopping the Canadian's takedown attempts. By round 5, it looked like Lawler needed to go for broke, which he did. After a huge left punch, MacDonald grabbed his nose, fell down, and that was a wrap. Both men went to the hospital after the bout, one of the best all year for the UFC.

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"It's more exciting because I showed everyone I'm a true fighter," said Lawler "No matter what happens, I keep coming, and keep coming. That was the cumulation of a beatdown. That wasn't one punch, that was the culmination of years of fighting coming to fruition."

This title fight accentuated one of the greatest main cards in UFC pay-per-view history. Jeremy Stephens scored a major knockout over top-10 Featherweight Dennis Bermudez after missing weight. Hot prospect Thomas Almeida moved to 20-0 with an insane flying knee. Gunnar Nelson, teammate of Conor McGregor, totally starched his opponent, Brandon Thatch.

The UFC also stepped up their production skills, adding new lighting, camera angles, visual presentations, introductions, theme songs, and more. Prior to the championship fights, a projection onto the canvas was done, much like the NBA playoffs. Tonight was a landmark night for the company and sport as a whole.

You can see our full UFC 189 coverage at this link.

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