Rory MacDonald's last five fights

Steven Muehlhausen

Rory MacDonald's last five fights image

Rory MacDonald is currently one of the best pure competitors in MMA.

The Canadian began training as a 14-year-old at the Toshido Fighting Arts Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia. At 16, MacDonald made his professional debut, scoring a first-round submission win over Terry Thiara at Extreme Fighting Challenge 4.

MacDonald (20-4) went undefeated in 10 fights on the Canadian MMA circuit, all via stoppage, to earn a UFC contract by the time he turned 20. He took on Carlos Condit at UFC 115, and "The Red King" was in control for the entire fight until losing by TKO with seven seconds remaining. 

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MacDonald went on to win eight of his next nine fights, beating Nate Diaz, former two-division champion BJ Penn, former two-division title challenger Demian Maia and current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley to earn a shot at then-champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 in 2015.

Lawler beat MacDonald in a narrow split-decision at UFC 167. MacDonald was looking to extract revenge less than two years later. Lawler won by fifth-round TKO in a back-and-forth battle that was voted by ESPN.com as the greatest fight in UFC history.

MacDonald took about a year off to heal up from the war he endured with Lawler. Instead of signing a new UFC deal, MacDonald fought out his contract and then lost to Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision.

In Aug. 2016, MacDonald agreed to join the Bellator roster. He made his promotional debut at Bellator 179, scoring a second-round submission over Paul Daley. MacDonald then beat Douglas Lima by unanimous decision at Bellator 192 to win the welterweight title, the first championship of his career.

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MacDonald will move up to 185 pounds and challenge Gegard Mousasi for the middleweight championship in the main event of Bellator 206 on Sept. 29, which airs exclusively on DAZN.

Let's take a look at the last five fights of Rory MacDonald.

Rory MacDonald vs. Douglas Lima

Date: Jan. 20, 2018

Result: MacDonald wins by unanimous decision.

Summary: MacDonald's mission when he signed with Bellator was to become a world champion. It was a close fight that would be decided after the fifth round. Lima spent all his energy in previous rounds and MacDonald found an extra gear to propel him to his first-ever world title. 

Rory MacDonald vs. Paul Daley

Date: May 19, 2017

Result: MacDonald wins by second-round submission.

Summary: MacDonald wanted to put on a spectacular performance for his Bellator debut, and there's no better way to do that than facing one of the most exciting fighters in the world in Paul Daley. MacDonald controlled every aspect, whether it was on the ground or on his feet, to earn the submission victory. 

Rory MacDonald vs. Stephen Thompson

Date: June 18, 2016

Result: Thompson wins by unanimous decision.

Summary: The first three rounds were pretty close, but Thompson controlled the bout with his striking and put on the most complete performance in his career. The "Wonderboy" grew stronger as the fight went on and he ended up breaking MacDonald's nose in the late rounds. It was the final fight for MacDonald in the UFC, as he signed with Bellator shortly after.

Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler

Date: July 11, 2015

Result: Lawler wins by fifth-round TKO.

Summary: Arguably the greatest fight in UFC championship history. MacDonald and Lawler went to war for 21 minutes, with neither willing to take a step back. The savage war of attrition may be pegged by a particular moment between Rounds 4 and 5 when Lawler lowered his head to spit out blood from the brutal fight. The two then stared each other down until they were told to go back to their respective corners. In the fifth round, MacDonald's face had taken too much punishment. A lethal combination from Lawler sank MacDonald and broke his nose. It was a legendary scrap that will go down as one of the most brutal battles in the Octagon. 

Rory MacDonald vs. Tarec Saffiedine

Date: Oct. 4, 2014

Result: MacDonald wins by third-round TKO.

Summary: MacDonald established the jab from the outset to keep the former Strikeforce champion at a distance he could control. The end came when MacDonald connected on a left hand to finish off Saffiedine, earning his third consecutive win and a title opportunity in his next fight.

 

Steven Muehlhausen

Steven Muehlhausen Photo

Steven Muehlhausen is a contributing writer for DAZN News. He writes features and news stories, and provides analysis relating to the world of boxing. Over the past five years, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Bill Goldberg.