The 10 greatest UFC fights of the last decade (2010-2019)

2015: Robbie Lawler vs Rory MacDonald – UFC 189

Enter caption Robbie Lawler and Rory Macdonald went all out against each other at UFC 189.

Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald had already met once inside the Octagon prior to their Welterweight title fight at UFC 189, with Lawler edging a close decision. That was a decent enough fight, but nothing could’ve prepared UFC fans for what they were about to see in their rematch in Las Vegas.

Strangely enough, the fight started slowly, with both men looking tentative throughout the first round. The second round though saw the champion Lawler begin to find his range, and he used his heavy boxing combinations to bust his Canadian challenger up, leaving his face a mess.

The third round seemed to be following the same pattern – until MacDonald suddenly caught ‘Ruthless Robbie’ with a head kick, stunning him. Now it was ‘The Red King’ on the attack, as he assaulted the champion with a barrage of punches and elbows, leaving him almost out on his feet. Somehow, Lawler survived the round, but he appeared to be on borrowed time.

The fourth started in the same way, with Lawler desperately trying to defend himself from MacDonald’s attack, but midway through the round something changed, and the champion’s inner animal came out. ‘Ruthless Robbie’ was now snarling at MacDonald, a giant tear in his bottom lip, and he began to land heavy punches, busting the Canadian’s nose up again. When the buzzer sounded for the end of the round, Lawler spat blood onto the Octagon floor and stared MacDonald down – and the Canadian stared right back.

The fight remained in the balance as the fifth round began, but it didn’t last too long. Lawler landed a left hand to the smashed nose of ‘The Red King’ again and this time, MacDonald simply couldn’t take any more. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, and the fight was mercifully over. Both men had shown an insane amount of heart and desire, but in the end, it was Lawler who could withstand more pain.

In the years that have followed, neither man has quite been the same – they’ve both lost more fights than they’ve won – but that’s the price you pay for putting on what I’d consider to be the fight of the decade.