UFC legend Robbie Lawler has taken a look back at his incredible rematch against Rory MacDonald from back at UFC 189.
When it comes to absolute warriors, Robbie Lawler is up there with the best of them in the history of mixed martial arts. He has achieved some amazing things throughout the course of his career, and he’s been involved in some absolute wars. One of the most notable, of course, was his battle with Rory MacDonald at UFC 189.
Robbie Lawler was at the top of his game as UFC world champion and while MacDonald was able to keep up with him for most of the fight, ‘Ruthless’ was just operating at a different level.
In a recent interview, Robbie Lawler spoke openly about what went down in that encounter and in the immediate aftermath.
Robbie Lawler looks back at Rory MacDonald rematch
“It actually healed [his lip] pretty fast within, like, two weeks,” Lawler said. “I was like, ‘Man, this actually looks pretty freaking good.’ Obviously, the UFC [had] everything lined up so food wasn’t falling out, water wasn’t falling out of my mouth, so it was good. I didn’t realize how bad it was when I was in the fight and I’m talking to Dana and he’s, like, ‘Hey man, don’t talk.’ I just started laughing.
“Because really in my eyes, you ever seen the movie Predator? It’s one of my favorite lines: ‘Hey, you’re bleeding.’ ‘I don’t have time to bleed.’ So that’s kind of my mindset. Whatever, there’s blood, it’s not a big deal, but I didn’t realize it was this lip.”
“At that point in time, it’s funny, I was thinking, ‘Let’s go,’” Lawler said recalling the incident. “I felt like he was running, but really it wasn’t, he was being strategic and I was like, ‘Let’s go, it’s freaking time,’ is what I was thinking.”
Reinier de Ridder has an ace up his sleeve in the form of a UFC Hall of Famer.
Since making his Octagon debut in November 2024, ‘RDR’ has taken the UFC by storm, securing four straight wins, including a highlight-reel finish of Bo Nickal and a gritty split decision victory over ex-titleholder Robert Whittaker. Now, the Dutchman is gearing up for another tough test when he takes on Brendan Allen in the UFC Vancouver main event on Saturday, October 18.
Determined to leave no stone unturned, de Ridder revealed during a recent interview that his team has brought in former welterweight king Robbie Lawler to help hone his skills.
“Robbie [Lawler] is a big part of it as well at the moment,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie. “It’s nice to have that inside–all the knowledge that Robbie has in training is very useful, it’s very helpful… Technique-wise, he’s really helped me a lot. I think maybe personality-wise we’re pretty similar.”
Will Allen Capitalize on His Golden Opportunity Against Reinier de Ridder?
Originally, ‘RDR’ was scheduled to fight Anthony Hernandez in the evening’s headliner, before ‘Fluffy’ bowed out due to an injury. Instead it’ll be Allen stepping into the spotlight to take on the former two-division ONE world champion.
‘All In’ is fresh off a big win over Marvin Vettori in July, snapping a two-fight losing skid and keeping him within earshot of the middleweight top 10. With a win over de Ridder in The Great White North, Allen could skyrocket himself all the way into the top five, putting him potentially one big win away from his own shot at UFC gold.
Of course, de Ridder will do everything he can to prevent that from happening, and bringing in a legend like ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler is a pretty good start.
A longtime MMA veteran whose active career spanned over 20 years, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler will be honored for all of his memories in the sport with a solo spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Lawler was announced at UFC 313 as the latest member of the organization’s Hall of Fame Class of 2025 as a member of the “Modern Wing.”
Robbie Lawler The Latest Entrant Of The UFC Hall of Fame Class Of 2025
Robbie Lawler’s time in the sport began when he was just 16 years old, taken under the wing of Pat Miletich. At 19, he made his professional MMA debut, finishing John Reed in April 2001. Lawler scored first-round knockouts in his first four professional fights in that year before scoring a UFC contract.
“Ruthless” made his UFC debut at UFC 37, defeating Aaron Riley via decision. He went 4-3 between 2002 and 2004 while with the UFC, which included a memorable bout with Nick Diaz at UFC 47 that Lawler lost via second-round KO.
Lawler would go on to develop his craft and gain experience competing in various promotions over the next decade, including EliteXC and Strikeforce. The American defeated Murilo Rua in September 2007 to become EliteXC middleweight champion. He’d retain the title in a pair of bouts against Scott Smith.
Lawler also challenged Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the Strikeforce middleweight title in January 2011 but would end up getting submitted.
“Ruthlss” returned to the UFC after it folded Strikeforce, winning three straight before fighting Johny Hendricks for the then-vacant UFC welterweight title at UFC 171. While Lawler lost the fight, he’d go on to defeat him in a rematch at UFC 181 to become champion.
Lawler then went on to retain the title in two of the most memorable battles in history, defeating Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 and Carlos Condit at UFC 195, before dropping the gold to Tyron Woodley at UFC 201. Lawler vs. MacDonald was inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.
That same weekend, Lawler had one of the most memorable sendoffs in his retirement fight at UFC 290, scoring a first-round knockout of Niko Price.
Lawler joins longtime UFC producer Craig Piligian and the UFC 236 clash between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum as part of the UFC Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.
Mike Perry is seeking a high-profile retired fighter to face off against in his BKFC return in 2025, and Conor McGregor likes one of his options.
At the BKFC Hollywood event in Florida this past weekend, Perry took the spotlight during an in-ring interview and was asked about his future plans. The 33-year-old quickly called out former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, who was present in the crowd, as the opponent he’s eager to face next.
“Who should face me next? I see Robbie Lawler in the crowd and I think he should take the gloves off, and he should step inside the square circle against ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry.”
“Platinum” hasn’t stepped into the squared circle since his stunning knockout win over former UFC fighter Thiago Alves at BKFC Knucklemania IV in April. He further emphasized that Lawler is the ideal opponent to add to his flawless bare-knuckle record.
“Listen, man, I’m the best to ever be up in this ring [with] no gloves. There’s nobody [that’s] ever done it like me, and I’m waiting for my chance to shine again. The world tried to take things from me. I’m ready for my next opportunity and it doesn’t seem like anybody [wants] to step up to the line. So what I thought is Robbie Lawler might just be tough enough to do it.”
Perry remains undefeated in BKFC with a perfect 5-0 record, boasting impressive knockout victories over former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Luke Rockhold.
Meanwhile, Lawler called time on his fighting career after a decisive 38-second knockout victory over Niko Price at UFC 290 in July 2023. While “Ruthless” once commanded fear in the Octagon, his final stretch saw him struggle, posting a 3-6 record in his last nine appearances.
Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2 is widely considered one of the, if not the best MMA fight of all time. The first two rounds started slow but the last three will never be removed from MMA history.
Lawler’s intense stare before the fifth, followed by him securing the finish, is as iconic as it gets. His post-fight interview with the torn lip was like the cherry on top, making the UFC 189 co-main event one of the most memorable fights of all time.
John McCarthy had the privilege of witnessing this action more closely than anyone else in the world as the referee. However, he’s now revealed a shocking concern as the welterweights continued damaging each other for five rounds…
“Big” John McCarthy Explains Rory MacDonald’s Life-Threatening Condition When Fighting Robbie Lawler At UFC 189
McCarthy recently appeared on Tim Welch’s YouTube channel for an episode of Red Hawk Recap. When asked about the hardest fight to ref, he remembered a random heavyweight bout involving an intentional groin shot.
However, the conversation turned serious when McCarthy expressed his concerns about MacDonald aspirating blood during his fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 189. Due to the severe nose blockage, “The Red King” couldn’t breathe properly and his blood was sticking to his lungs which could’ve been fatal if not diagnosed properly.
“I had that with Rory MacDonald with Robbie Lawler. And a lot of people look at that fight, they love the fight. It was an incredible fight, but if you look at it, Rory is dying! During parts of that fight, based upon he’s aspirating blood. which means he’s starting to have the blood stick into his lungs. He’s not swallowing it, he’s breathing it in and now it’s taking his lungs’ ability to dissipate the oxygen.”
“Big” further explained his dilemma as MacDonald would always be off to a good start after the one-minute rest between rounds. He would then be fatigued for obvious reasons towards the end of these rounds but because this was a title fight, the veteran referee couldn’t make up his mind about stopping it.
“He would come out every round, just like they normally do and he would do well based upon he now has oxygen. He’s had that minute rest, now that he gets a little tired, now he’s starting to suck air because he can’t breathe through his nose. And he’s starting to breathe through his mouth and now he’s starting to fall off the cliff. But now it gets to the end of the round, all right, he’s made it. Let’s try to see if we can go to the next one. But those are the ones to me that are scary.”
McCarthy shockingly revealed that during the fight, he was worried about entering the club of referees who’ve had fatal incidents occur inside the ring while they’re refereeing.
Luckily, the inhuman brawl against Lawler didn’t affect MacDonald in the ways that McCarthy feared. He competed for seven more years and even won a championship in Bellator.
Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler wants to see fighters earn more money during and after their careers.
Lawler is back in the win column after earning a TKO win over Nick Diaz at UFC 266. Entering the highly-anticipated rematch with Diaz, Lawler had lost four straight and hadn’t earned a win since 2017.
Lawler is one of the OGs of the fight game. Going back to his UFC debut at UFC 37, he has been arguably one of the biggest fan favorites in the sport.
Lawler is still intent on performing at a high level, even in the latter stages of his professional career. But during a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, he admitted there’s still one change he wants to see be made in MMA.
“I would obviously like the fighters to get paid more,” Lawler said. “But, I’d also like them to have something like a pension after the fact, so that they’re getting paid—those types of things. Obviously, everyone’s not going to make it to the highest level and make a whole bunch of money winning world titles, but once you get to the UFC, Bellator – these bigger organizations – I think there needs to be some sort of—kind of like the NFL does. I mean they take care of their guys after—at least try to. And the NBA does a great job, and baseball probably does the same thing, where guys are still continuing to get something after they’re done with the sport. So if there’s a way that we could get this for the fighters it’d be awesome.”
Lawler has been around the fight game for years, and he believes that it’s time for fighters to be treated fairly and compensated correctly for their efforts.
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson is targeting a return to the Octagon in the coming months and has two promotional veterans in mind.
At the start of 2021, Thompson was riding a two-fight win streak and was fresh off a dominant main event victory over Geoff Neal. His target over the next 12 months was to secure his third title shot in the UFC.
But instead of booking a date with reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman, “Wonderboy” slipped down the rankings with back-to-back setbacks.
In his first appearance of the year, Thompson faced recent title challenger and top-three welterweight Gilbert Burns. At the time, many believed a victory over “Durinho” would have secured the 38-year-old another opportunity to reach the mountaintop. However, in the UFC 264 co-main event, he was controlled and beaten on the scorecards by the Brazilian.
Fast forward five months to December’s UFC Vegas 45, and Thompson had a quick chance to rebound and keep his place in the title conversation. But in a similar fashion to his previous outing, he was taken down and convincingly out-grappled, this time by rising name Belal Muhammad.
Despite yet another setback and his close proximity to the 40-year-old milestone, Thompson isn’t letting his championship aspirations disintegrate just yet. Spurred on by his desire to become the promotion’s oldest fighter, “Wonderboy” is ready to set things right in 2022.
During a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Thompson provided an update on his return. While an April fight is his current target, “Wonderboy” did reveal he is awaiting an MRI scan on his collarbone, which he’s experienced pain on since his defeat to Muhammad on December 18.
“Well, I wanna get back in April. I’ve got an MRI I’ve gotta do on my collarbone; It’s been killing me after the last fight,” said Thompson. “When Belal Muhammad picked me up and threw me down, I ended up putting my arm out and we both landed on my shoulder. I kinda jacked my collarbone up. So, I’m still training but usually, after every training session, it’s giving me some problems… But I wanna fight again in April. I’m not sure who yet.”
Nevertheless, Thompson doesn’t believe it’s too serious and hopes to have the chance to end his losing skid in the second quarter of the year.
Despite suggesting he’s looking to avoid an overwhelming wrestler in his next matchup, “Wonderboy” did admit he’s open to a “jiu-jitsu vs. karate” clash with grappling specialist Michael Chiesa.
“At this point, I would say, let’s hold off on the wrestlers real quick [LAUGHS]. The last few guys I just got obliterated… I think (Chiesa) would be a good opponent, for sure… I mean, he does have a name and he’s a good buddy of mine too, so I think that’d be a fun one,” added Thompson. “Obviously I’m gonna try and keep that fight standing because his jiu-jitsu is good. You saw his last fight with Vicente Luque, getting submitted, that’s kind of always been a thing. I’ve seen him start wrestling guys and him wrestling himself into a submission; getting sucked into a guillotine or triangle.
Michael Chiesa, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“He’s doing work at 170. I think I can outstrike him, I can out-move him, for sure. If we fought, I’d definitely look to keep the fight standing. But he fights fairly stiff. Maybe that’s why he’s so strong. He’s got that muscle. I think it would be a fun fight, it would definitely be one of those jiu-jitsu vs. karate guys again.”
But if he’s focusing solely on another striker he can trade blows with, who better than welterweight legend and former champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler?
“I think (Lawler) would be a really fun fight, especially for the fans. I’ve been trying to fight this guy since he was champion. I think that would be a great fight, even though he’s not ranked at this point, I would love (it). It would be an honor to fight a legend, and exciting, it would be an exciting fight. Two guys going out there striking it up. That would be awesome,” concluded Thompson.
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Despite consecutive defeats in the Octagon, Thompson remains a fan favorite and a name most will always be excited to watch. “Wonderboy” will hope to put his entertaining and slick striking style on full display again in 2022 after an underwhelming last 12 months.
Who would you prefer to see Stephen Thompson face next, Michael Chiesa or Robbie Lawler?
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