The run of a UFC legend in the promotion ended shortly after one of the best fights of all time.
Rory MacDonald recently came up again in the eyes of the combat sport world after he recently helped Stephen Thompson to prepare for his last outing.
Thompson eventually became the last opponent with whom 'Red King' shared the Octagon before he said goodbye to the promotion because his contract ended.
While he went a loss, it was his previous fight that had a lot, including Dana White, who wondered if MacDonald would ever be the same again.
As difficult as every loss is, especially with such a high effort, the 36-year-old now has a different perspective on his greatest setback.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Rory MacDonald admits that winning the Welterweight title on UFC 189 would not have been good for him at that time
In the Co-Main event of UFC 189 in 2015, Robbie Lawler faced Rory MacDonald in a rematch for the Welterweight title.
What followed was one of the greatest UFC fights of all time, in which both men pushed each other to the limit until the challenger could no longer continue in the final round.
Lawler talked about how his opponent changed after their incredible back and forth fighting the career of both men.
Although MacDonald did not attend the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony, where the fight was inaugurated in 2023 because he did not want to celebrate any defeat, 'Red King' now has a different view of the result.
He spoke about the Ariel Helwani show about how, when he looks back on the outcome, he believes that although it would have been great to become a UFC champion, this was not the right step for him at that stage in his life.
“I have no bad feelings at all and I am happy that it came out as it did … Actually I think it was meant that I didn't win that fight. I don't think it would have been good for me with where I was in my life at the time to wear that.
“I don't think I was mature enough. I certainly wasn't. The choices I made, certainly not. I am happy with my personal growth, but of course it would have been nice to have that.”
Rory MacDonald thinks about attending a UFC event for the first time in almost a decade
Together with the injuries he sustained at UFC 189, who would become a consistent theme in his career, Rory MacDonald retired in 2022 after he was burned out.
After having disappeared from the spotlight for a number of years, the Canadian star recently became again by participating in the UFC 315 Fight Week in Montreal in last May.
MacDonald said he no longer had the drive to compete while speaking at that event, but his opinion about this has changed and he is now full -time back in the gym.
'Red King' spoke about his experience to be back at a UFC event for the first time since his last game in the Octagon in 2016 during his appearance on the Ariel Helwani show.
“It felt great. It felt refreshing. I missed it a bit annoying … I reminded memories as a backstage at Weegins and I even had my children with me, my wife, and it was really cool. It was a cool moment that brought me back to those moments that I was ready to get on the podium and all that.”