UFC President Dana White was keen to the idea of Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler meeting following their respective wins at UFC On FOX 8 last month, and after making further comments towards that fight being made over the weekend in Boston, MacDonald and Lawler now have a date to throw down inside the Octagon.
MacDonald (15-1, 6-1 UFC) and Lawler (21-9 1 NC, 6-3 UFC) will square off in a pivotal welterweight contest at UFC 167 in November. UFC officials announced the fight on Tuesday night following an initial report from MMA Junkie.
MacDonald looks to notch his sixth straight win after defeating Jake Ellenberger at last month’s event in Seattle. While it was his fifth straight win, MacDonald was criticized for his lackluster performance. He will look to get back to his dominant self that he showed in scoring wins over B.J. Penn, Che Mills, Mike Pyle and Nate Diaz during his win streak.
Lawler has returned to the UFC with a storm in scoring a pair of knockout wins to catapult himself into the top ten in the UFC’s rankings and into the title picture. His scored a win over Josh Koscheck at UFC 157 in February in both his return to the UFC and 170 pounds, and he followed that with a win over Bobby Voelker at last month’s UFC On FOX 8 event.
UFC 167 takes place on Nov. 16 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his championship against top contender Johny Hendricks in the night’s main event.
Should St. Pierre and MacDonald both win, it could set up a future bout between the two training partners, who have said in the past that they will not fight each other.
