With Aldo having pulled out of his fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 189 the Rory vs Lawler fight is now the only true championship fight on the card. It’s now the fight I’m most looking forward to and although it doesn’t get the fanfare that Conor brings to his fight with Chad Mendes I’m expecting quite a show from these two welterweights.
Robbie Lawler is the current Welterweight Champion after taking the belt in his rematch with Johny Hendricks. He was just the more aggressive fighter throughout that Championship Fight and because of that he earned the belt. Dana and Lorenzo had initially indicated they may give Hendricks an immediate rematch with a trilogy fight, but the outrage from the MMA community changed their mind. Rory has more than paid his dues and he is widely considered the be the top Welterweight in the world, so fans wanted him to have his shot at the belt. Rory was initially booked to fight Hector Lombard in April in his home town, but after Hector was suspended for drug use Rory was bumped from that card and the MMA community got what they wanted. The most deserving challenger getting a crack at the belt.
MacDonald vs Lawler Odds
Here are the odds to win the fight from BetOnline.ag:
- MacDonald -175
- Lawler +150
Rory & Lawler fought at UFC 167 back in November of 2013 with Lawler pulling out a split decision win. It was about as tight of a fight as can be, but a couple knockdowns by Lawler in the third round likely won him the fight. MacDonald has acknowledged that he did not prepare well for that fight and that he may have underestimated his opponent. You can be sure that won’t be the case again on Saturday.
MacDonald has strung together 3 wins over strong Welterweights in Maia, Woodley and Saffiedine since losing to Lawler. On the other side of the coin, Lawler won 3 straight fights against Ellenberger, Matt Brown and Johny Hendricks after losing his first Championship tilt with Hendricks right after his Rory win.
I’m expecting MacDonald to be ready to go heading into this fight. He is the more technical and polished fighter and if he can avoid getting hit by one of Lawler’s bombs he should come out as the victor in this fight.
Rory is just on another level to the other Welterweights in my opinion. That’s not to say that he can’t lose, but I think he has matured to the point where he can win in a lot of different ways. I like Rory to be the Welterweight Champion in the UFC for a long time.
Play: Rory MacDonald -175 @ BetOnline.ag
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Robbie Lawler • Rory MacDonald • ufc betting