Coming in at No. 1 is an undeniable classic from yet another legendary card that Lawler took part in.
Despite being the sitting champion and winning the prior fight, Lawler, once again, found himself as the underdog coming into his rematch with Rory MacDonald back at UFC 167.
For those who remember the pre-fight narrative and build-up, MacDonald was already being anointed as the second-coming of Georges St-Pierre. Whereas Lawler, who already gave us over a decade’s worth of incredible work in two divisions, just wanted the respect that he was due.
And on a night full of high-profile walkouts, Lawler walking out to “Hold On, I’m Comin’” by Sam & Dave is probably the most memorable for me.
More importantly, though, is that the fight absolutely delivered the goods and then some.
Welterweight Title Fight
Robbie Lawler vs Rory MacDonald 2
Greatest Fight of All Time pic.twitter.com/SyrhnCYQSO
— Ocelot MMA (@Ocelot_MMA) July 11, 2023
MacDonald sneakily used jabs to check his way out of exchanges while keeping consistent with bodywork that helped him set up a head kick that almost ended the fight in later rounds. That said, it was Lawler’s jab that helped open the door for the punishing punches that told a round-by-round story on MacDonald’s face.
The finishing punch of the fight, devoid of context, might be a difficult sell for a top-ranking knockout. But as Lawler said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, “That wasn’t one punch. That was years of fighting coming to fruition.”
*Honorable mentions: Robbie Lawler knocks out Josh Koshcheck at UFC 157; Robbie Lawler knocks out Bobby Voelker at UFC on FOX 8