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13th July 2015
04:06pm BST
As if it was written by some genius screenwriter, Lawler vs MacDonald II gave us exactly what made the original so great, except everything was just that little bit more spectacular.
MacDonald just edged the incredibly intense opening stanza, but Lawler's new-look patient gameplan paid off in round two. The two slugged it out, but Lawler's stellar takedown defence, and cinder-block-like hands obliterating the Red King's nose, saw him level the score on the cards.
Lawler continued to pile on the damage in the third, but the tide turned when MacDonald "dinged" the champ with a kick upstairs with 30 seconds left in the frame. He moved in for the kill, but Lawler's ludicrous resilience in survival mode saw him absorb the "MacFlurry" and wobble back to his corner.
If there was one round that encapsulated the five round war, it was the fourth. Both fighters were taken to edge of their respective pain thresholds in this frame. The devastation of the first 15 minutes had taken its toll, and their stances became considerably more flat-flooted.
However, their pursuit of the finish had not waned in the slightest.
Although MacDonald was landing with greater volume, Lawler made a point of refusing to take a backwards step. He plodded forward, continued to eat what his opponent had left and returned fire with some vicious shots of his own.
As the final seconds ticked down, Lawler sprayed blood onto the mat out of every available orifice in his face, including several new ones MacDonald had given him, and the weary warriors engaged in that now iconic post-round staredown.
The enthralling fight ended with a left straight from Lawler that landed flush on the shattered remains of MacDonald's nose. Ruthless lived up to his moniker by viciously finishing the second best 170 lb-er in the world. He was on the brink of defeat at the end of the third, behind on the scorecards but but was tougher, meaner and arguably more psychotic than the Canadian and dug deep to secure the victory. https://twitter.com/btsportufc/status/620148086157918208 The MMA purists got their ideal battle in the co-main event at UFC 189. There was no trash-talking or beef between the fighters in the lead up to the fight. There was no dramatic storyline outside the Octagon that added to the hype. Instead, the purists were blessed with two mixed martial artists at the zenith of the sport giving perhaps the best performances of their respective careers. When people discuss what is the greatest MMA fight ever, they bring up the likes of Henderson vs Rua, Edgar vs Maynard II and Griffin vs Bonnar, but UFC 189 threw another candidate into the mix. Lawler vs Macdonald II may be the new fight you show a newcomer that gets them into MMA.Explore more on these topics:
