Rory MacDonald Expects To Fight Robbie Lawler Couple More Times

An exhausted Thompson lost a unanimous decision, the lone blemish on his record.

“I know every time I go out there, everybody I face, they’re going to want to get me to the ground”, MacDonald said. “Going out there and taking those shots from Matt Brown, I told myself I wasn’t going to tap and I wasn’t going to let this guy try and finish me”.

“If it wasn’t for my nose, I would have fought in September but it just didn’t work out like that”, MacDonald said. But he’s also in there with a friendly rival, making it another new situation for him.

Sure, other fights may have seemed more meaningful at the time but none will have as much of a long-term impact on MacDonald’s future as his bout with Stephen Thompson that tops the UFC Fight Night 89 card Saturday at the Arena at TD Place in Ottawa.

First things first, Thompson has to get past MacDonald, and Lawler has a showdown set with Tyron Woodley at UFC 201 on July 30. MacDonald had landed 86 significant strikes, 70 of which connected with Lawler’s head. I beat the No. 1 and No. 2 at the time, best guys in the world, give me that title shot.

“This fight, I’m back to enjoying the process and I think that will be the biggest difference at UFC 196”.

Lawler exited the cage with a cut lip that looked like someone had taken a box-cutter in his face.

That might sound a little over the top, more fight-week hype, but the reality is, MacDonald has never gone into a fight with so much at stake. Others found it hard to watch.

Now, more than two-and-a-half years later, a second loss to Lawler has forced MacDonald to walk a very precarious path. And unless he’s able to extinguish Thompson’s own title hopes with a win in front of his fellow countrymen, MacDonald will become an over-qualified contender with next to no hope of another title shot during the current king’s reign.

These days he tries not to get any heavier than 185 pounds, simplifying the weight cut to 170. According to MacDonald, he believes he is a different kind of fighter and a better striker than Thompson’s previous opponents.

“This guy is trying to hurt you, he’s trying to take your spot”, said Thompson, an undefeated (57-0) kickboxing phenom who has gone 12-1 in MMA.

“I think the mental side of my game has significantly improved”. He still managed to do it. After the Rory-Wonderboy talk, we also cover former lightweight Donald Cerrone’s welterweight bout with former middleweight Patrick Cote, Valerie Letourneau’s flyweight matchup with Joanne Calderwood, and just about everything else of interest on the undercard of UFC Ottawa. He possesses a powerful double leg takedown and has shown a great ability to shake off takedown attempts from his opponents.

While he may not come from an amateur wrestling background, MacDonald is one of the best functional wrestlers in the welterweight division; much like his mentor and teammate Georges St-Pierre.

Still only 26 years old, Rory MacDonald, a.k.a. The Canadian Psycho, a.k.a. Ares, a.k.a. The Red King, a.k.a. The Serial Nerderer, has been touted as the welterweight division’s next big thing since his UFC debut back in 2010.