1. Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald
UFC 189
July 11, 2015 | Las Vegas
When the dust finally settled after this unbelievable war of attrition, many a fan and scribe were quick to proclaim it was one of the greatest fights of all-time. Most of the time, such hyperbole is based on heat-of-the-moment reactions, but in the case of the Lawler-MacDonald rematch, it was hard to argue against the claims.
Both men were battered, and both were rocked and seemingly on the verge of being knocked out on more than one occasion. MacDonald, long accused of being a fighter who plays it safe, waged the sort of trench war upon which legends are made. He took the best Lawler had to offer and kept coming back for more. However, the brick-fisted Lawler finally put away his adversary a minute into the fifth round, where he shattered MacDonald’s nose so severely that the bridge separated from his skull. With blood pouring from his face, the Canadian crumbled in a heap, bringing to an end one of the most violent and memorable bouts in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.