Will Rory Macdonald improve after the beating he took from Lawler?

[Kemeticsoul]

Or is the punishment he took that night detrimental for his future?

That's still one of the most skilled high level fights I've seen in all of mixed martial arts. The speed, accuracy, striking exhibited by both men was amazing to watch. Rory could have won had he kept distance better.

And Lawler keeps improving. His head movement and over all boxing is beautiful to watch.

Does that one fight help Rory down the road, or did the punishment supersede the experience gained?

 

[ortizgnp]

Lawler made Rory aware of the fact that MMA careers can be short.

 

[skolar182]

Rory has been the type of guy to come back stronger and better after his losses. But I think he's gonna have just as hard a time with Lawler this time around. It's really hard to say, but I'm excited for the rematch none-the-less.

We might see the exact same fight as the last one. Which I've got no problem with!

 

[105]

That is the million dollar question many in the MMA world have been speculating since the fight... Absolutely one of the most memorable fights of all time for me... And Only time will answer that question for us. Rory is a great fighter, but a war like that can change a fighter in, well, 25 minutes or so...

 

[Kyler Ruxin]

I think the loss makes him better for sure. Rory seems like the obsessive type that will improve himself at all costs. And it's not like he got a stone cold knockout that will weaken his chin. As long as his nose makes a full recovery, there's no reason to think he won't improve.

 

[kimchi dog taco]

will be easier to say after the wonderboy fight but i think rory is on the downside of his career, which is crazy to say since hes' only 26 but he has been fighting professional for 10 years now. most mma fighters don't really compete at the highest level for 10-12 years average

 

[Kemeticsoul]

Rory has been the type of guy to come back stronger and better after his losses. But I think he's gonna have just as hard a time with Lawler this time around. It's really hard to say, but I'm excited for the rematch none-the-less.

We might see the exact same fight as the first time. Which I've got no problem with!

Hell no, I got no problem if a rematch goes the same way. What an amazing fight. This is the fight to show people who bash MMA.

 

[kimchi dog taco]

Rory has been the type of guy to come back stronger and better after his losses. But I think he's gonna have just as hard a time with Lawler this time around. It's really hard to say, but I'm excited for the rematch none-the-less.

We might see the exact same fight as the first time. Which I've got no problem with!

you mean the second time, their first fight was super boring

 

[Paynebringer]

Or is the punishment he took that night detrimental for his future?

That's still one of the most skilled high level fights I've seen in all of mixed martial arts. The speed, accuracy, striking exhibited by both men was amazing to watch. Rory could have won had he kept distance better.

And Lawler keeps improving. His head movement and over all boxing is beautiful to watch.

Does that one fight help Rory down the road, or did the punishment supersede the experience gained?

Dude after that "WAR" he and Robbie went through a man can only get better, steel sharpens steel Rory McDonald is "REAL"...

 

[superpunch]

I think the loss makes him better for sure. Rory seems like the obsessive type that will improve himself at all costs. And it's not like he got a stone cold knockout that will weaken his chin. As long as his nose makes a full recovery, there's no reason to think he won't improve.

Rory's the kinda guy that will just cut off his nose if it hinders his performance.

 

[Nelly]

Lawler has been in more wars and taken more damage than Rory. I'm pretty sure Rory's improvement to damage ratio is higher than Lawler's.

 

[superpunch]

will be easier to say after the wonderboy fight but i think rory is on the downside of his career, which is crazy to say since hes' only 26 but he has been fighting professional for 10 years now. most mma fighters don't really compete at the highest level for 10-12 years average

Most athletes in professional sports decline gradually around 27-29, and then plummet to complete obsoleteness @ 30 -- like former top 5 guys can't beat top 50 guys level of obsolete. 30 is like a magic number.

The fact that we have not even a few but it's common for guys 30+ to be competitive is ... well that says a lot about how horrible the competition in MMA is.

 

[skolar182]

you mean the second time, their first fight was super boring

It could go that way, too.

And I just watched the first fight and it wasn't boring, it was a good fight. Not great, but definitely not boring.

 

[kimchi dog taco]

Most athletes in professional sports decline gradually around 27-29, and then plummet to complete obsoleteness @ 30 -- like former top 5 guys can't beat top 50 guys level of obsolete. 30 is like a magic number.

The fact that we have not even a few but it's common for guys 30+ to be competitive is ... well that says a lot about how horrible the competition in MMA is.

the difference is that guys over 30, like bisping, haven't been fighting since they were sixteen. it's not really about age but mileage on the body. i hope rory can win and become champion but i think we'll see him go the phil davis route

 

[Andy Anderson]

His fashion sense has improved a lot since then
from

to

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2c3+Vw1CwFGy0jfBw+66LQhzrA7J3qsa5bxR8MJoAZaUmaMalhH4rR4AfP6arn0gt+i9Wt2XEfi9ggiqRNFGQyRl5C1pyCQHUkjQEi3stsc/ipsc3ckFOuCbIVpIREJRCIoBKIpSIoBBRJRRIAkSNBABLYkpcQ1CAt60qC5TKzcqGVdIhNOOqeKZCQGglIIBLQpEYTlBQSTPEcTHSPOzWgk/4XVeEvhI42krnZR/wsPe/reNvIe6RubYXhc1Q8RwRukeeTRew6k7AeJXozgTAzRUUULmgSWLpbG93uNzrz0sPRWWFYXDTMEcETY2jk0Wv4k7k+amgo2AuqzGtWqxKi10dwlZ0J7c54BkymeE7teTbyJafsFrZFk4o/2fEyP3Z238Mx3+rfqtXIFzSadV77QKlyocSm0KvqlmhVBVwX0Sq4yz2G5SewPRayiwYE3cNFYz4c23ypaotYGWl0utFwrwpK6E1Ggzk5Qdy1ul/e6lHBi8hrRq42HroukxQNhibG35WNDR5AWV8WO72y5ctRy007mPs4WIK6JhbO6Dbks9jEGd/dGq1VFCWsHkqzxsrKU/dRqN4kD76jMR1BsADp7pOJ1XZsc7oCiwWEshYDuRmPm7vH7qfkM7xD8N6Gqu4MMMn54rNHqy2U+y5TxT8Oayju9re3i/PGDmaP42bjzFwvQhKMFXNz0HkcpJC9LcScDUVbrJFkk/5Yu4/10s71BXNMe+ENVHd1NI2dv5T+HJ6fuuPqFUy+06czSSpVZRyROLJWOY8btcCCPQqOQrI2USUUlAEiRlEgFJ2HceY+6aCdpvmHmPugLOsOqhOUqqOqiFXSE5NJx5TYSBQCCOx6IID1Xg2DU9KzJTxNjHOw1P8AM7cqyCaaU4CpMsINdqUkFJedUAtE8aIAoJk57x/S5DHM3eN/0db+4HutHSPEkbZBs5oPuEfFlD2sD26XLTbz3H1sqfgmrzU+U7sJb6bhY5TWToxu8VjUwqt/ZLuVw999EUUdip0reghpA0JMkF1MJQLFVhbIwejHaZrfLr67BWGIP0snKGPKy/XX9Ew9uZy0wmoxzu6gUdIS6581oWgWUaGKyi41iLYoyb8j6DmVVSp8bnE07IG7E3fb8o3/AE91QcW8bFjjDTG1tHSaE35hnl1Tud0dLU1Z0e5uVh/KHENFvdc1L7qeLCZW2nalVWISSG75HOPVzifulUGPVFO4Oilc23K92nwLToVWVEw5JiLNI8MY0uc7QAbkrak7twVxQyujNwGzMt2jOWuz235H6LRWB2K5pwXw06nJfe8z25XWJysYdSD12GvgtZhdeI35CbsJtfoevko8BtIx/humrGZKiJr9NHbPb4teNQuM8Y/C2opiZKYGeHew/wC6wfxNHzDxHsu/OKZqxdjh1BHvos9aN5DeEgrTce8Puo6p7LfhvJfGRtlJ29Dos05OXcIhEjQKYGE9S/MPNMhP0o7wTCVK7VMFOyJq6oiHpISnIgkBgI0AjQHq+OROCRBBSZQcsn8RzIIWuzlsdyHhp1LjbJccx82njfkgggJPw/qZzSt7fqRGb3JZyB8tQPABai6CCfvskerju0+S5dw5iRgxGoo3G4cS9h8Hd8DwtmI9kEFOUaYXts82qeY+6CCyjapbOqWDew6myCCtCymNhZN07EEFqwHVzZR4lZfimgJfGxryQ91nA9QLi3hvp5IILPP0qLDG8JDqGWFu5jNvNveH1C4G6ayCC24+oVFDE6V7Y2C7nGw1sF1fgvhBkQve7v35Of8AKwcgggnleibCppA1hazutvd7tzlAubKipIO2ccvdYPfwQQWVyuOOVn+CLbAsSztyH5m8+o5KVitTlaB+ZwH3KCCOXraox3xCwJtbSOsB2kV3xnyGrb9CF58eggsuKnkQSiujQWyRtUijPeHr9kaCAem3TTiggqIhEggkC0aCCA//2Q==

 

[superpunch]

the difference is that guys over 30, like bisping, haven't been fighting since they were sixteen. it's not really about age but mileage on the body. i hope rory can win and become champion but i think we'll see him go the phil davis route

I'd like to believe that but almost every top level MMA fighter has been a competitive athlete in other sports their entire lives. The wear and tear is there. It's just that the competition level in MMA is garbage.

 

[Kemeticsoul]

Rory vs. Lawler 2 was basically a boxing match with 4oz gloves, with some kicks thrown in.

One thing this fight taught me as a slob dude-bruh is that boxing is still and will always remain as one of the best arts. Lawler gives hope to non flexible fighters who rely on hands instead of kicks.

You take a bad ass guy like Lawler who doesn't use kicks a lot, and he still fucks people up.........

You don't have to be a pro kickboxer to compete, but that doesn't mean you can't develope world class DEFENSE.

Lawler is a fascinating case, because he's getting better at boxing and footwork more than anything else. Good tdd, awareness of distance(kicks), head movement, etc.

If wonderboy gets past Rory, it's not a foregone conclusion he beats Lawler with his kickboxing.

I would say Wonderboy has to worry about Lawlers boxing and his ability to close the distance.

 

[Rittsy]

I'm holding my judgement. He last fought a year ago, that's a lot of time to recover. I know we like to say that after a beating you're never the same, but take a look at Lawler... Hendricks II, Macdonald II, Condit...each of them crazy wars and he recovered just fine.

Rory didn't get KOd, his nose broke (no doubt he was a little concussed but we aren't talking JDS/Valasquez II & III).

Maybe he loses to Wonderboy, but it's not like a loss like that is evidence his career is over, Wonderboy is no joke. If Rory lost to a guy like Matt Brown (no disrespect) than I'd start to worry, if Rory is visibly gun shy I'd worry, if he just can't put it together in his next couple of fights I'd worry.

But right now there's nothing to indicate his career is on a slide.

 

[FutureBwChamp]

Or is the punishment he took that night detrimental for his future?

That's still one of the most skilled high level fights I've seen in all of mixed martial arts. The speed, accuracy, striking exhibited by both men was amazing to watch. Rory could have won had he kept distance better.

And Lawler keeps improving. His head movement and over all boxing is beautiful to watch.

Does that one fight help Rory down the road, or did the punishment supersede the experience gained?

No he will never be the same, that fight was life changing

 

[LouisBolanos]

He got way more bitter and salty about his UFC pay so I guess in a way he has grown. if he gets wrecked by Wonderboy you can expect him to join Jon Fitch and his free agency Ali act crusade and start posting bitcoin ads on twitter.