Oh man, I am fight fatigued. I feel bloated. I feel like somewhere along the line I developed an unhealthy relationship with MMA and now I’m just starting to notice it in the mirror. It’s all too fitting that this is the same month in which we’ll all celebrate by gorging our faces with actual food (insert Thanksgiving play on words).
There’s just been too many good fights this fall and it’s hard to tell when this streak of great MMA started to snowball. Maybe it was at UFC 165 with the rollicking Jon Jones-Alexander Gustaffson main event. Or maybe when Cain Velasquez mauled Junior Dos Santos to reclaim the heavyweight title at UFC 166.
Of course we shouldn’t forget to also add Bellator to this list with their generous offering of Alvarez-Chandler 2. Last but not least, even UFN 31 was so much fun from start to finish (By the way, shame on you if you ridiculed UFN 31, that was an awesome card).
I just want to take a nap, I’m so full of MMA.
However, with the best still to come at UFC 167, it is definitely not the time to hibernate yet. From the coming out party for Sergio Pettis to the GSP-Hendricks welterweight title fight, this is the stacked card you’ve been waiting for.
So let’s take a closer look at a very appetizing main card fight, one that I’m personally most excited for, between Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler.
I love MacDonald’s game. It’s brutal and childlike. He simply seems to be missing a normal person’s moral hard-wiring while in the octagon. It’s all the more fascinating when he’s, by a large margin, the best dressed fighter in MMA, better than his fashion mentor and training partner in GSP.
It’s all about the fit guys. GSP looks like a (insert your own joke: mob goon, draft night rookie, etc.) in those unflattering suits. Pair that with Rory’s absolutely vulgar fighting style and you just get sucked in by all the incongruity in this terrifying and dapper welterweight.
If you need a reminder of his viciousness, look no further than his playful onslaught on a physically cowering, but still pridefully upright B.J. Penn. It was memorable because a finish seemed to be in plain sight, but Rory opted to tee-off and land bigger blows, fully enjoying the moment while destroying “The Prodigy.” It says a lot when Nick Diaz had a more competitive fight with Penn and that one caused B.J. to semi-retire.
MacDonald is matched with a similarly lethal fighter, Robbie Lawler. Who it needs to be said, is the 2013 version of the veteran, and, is very much so a relevant welterweight in the UFC. His rise in stock was due to his highlight reel upset of two-time welterweight title challenger, Josh Koscheck at UFC 157. That’s the same Koscheck who was close to derailing the current title challenger, and UFC 167 main eventer, Johny Hendricks.
I know. It’s crazy that this is the same guy that was fighting in the UFC a decade ago. Who would’ve predicted that?
The more reliable aspect here is what Lawler brings to the table. He knocks dudes out. 18 out of his 21 wins are of the KO and TKO nature, and 11 of those KOs were delivered in the first round. He knocked Koscheck out, and more recently he knocked out the always game Bobby Voelker.
That’s what he does and he’s beloved for it. If he can wreck MacDonald at 167 it’ll be a truly storybook re-entry into contendership for the veteran.
I imagine MacDonald-Lawler to play out a lot like Rory’s last win against another heavy-hitter, Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger. Before that fight, Rory’s pitch to the media was that he would “embarrass” Ellenberger.
Little did anyone know, the evil masterminds at Tristar gym instructed Rory to toy with Jake just by repetitiously pawing out a hard jab for the entire bout to earn the unanimous decision win. Just as he said, it was thoroughly embarrassing for Ellenberger. Weirdly, it was also sort of mesmerizing to see Rory so capable of shutting down the more powerful striker with such little effort.
Prediction: Considering Rory’s genuine glee for following such a tedious and unwatchable game-plan like he did against Ellenberger, it’s hard to pick against him here. He should be able to avoid Lawler’s crazy power long enough to be able to pick his own shots and get away with it. Rory MacDonald by unanimous decision.