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No déjà vu for MacDonald, Lawler despite familiar conditions of UFC 189 rematch

Welterweight champion has already beaten challenger at MGM Grand Garden Arena once

UFC 189 Fighters Workout Sessions

L.E. Baskow

UFC 189 fighter Rory MacDonald shadow boxes during his open training session at the MGM Grand on Wednesday, July 8, 2015.

UFC 189 Workout Sessions

UFC 189 fighter Conor McGregor throws a kick during open training at the MGM Grand on Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Launch slideshow »

Rory MacDonald’s biggest takeaway from the last time he fought at the MGM Grand Garden Arena didn’t originate on fight night.

The strongest memory the 25-year-old welterweight looks back on came the next morning at McCarran International Airport. It was before a flight back to his native Montreal after suffering a split-decision loss to current champion Robbie Lawler that MacDonald decided to rededicate himself to mixed martial arts.

“It just lit the fire again,” MacDonald said Wednesday. “Sometimes the fire goes out, you know? Spark the flame, and now I’m feeling good, feeling hungry.”

Twenty months after the loss, he finds himself in a nearly identical spot. MacDonald (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) challenges Lawler (25-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) Saturday night at the MGM as part of the pay-per-view portion, which begins at 7 p.m., of UFC 189.

It’s another mega-event for the UFC where a fight other than Lawler vs. MacDonald is shouldering the promotional load. Conor McGregor’s attempt to justify his hype by winning the interim featherweight title against Chad Mendes is the focus, just as the final fight of MacDonald’s mentor Georges St. Pierre dominated attention at UFC 167.

The only other difference on the surface is that instead of fighting to become the 170-pound division’s top contender like they were in November 2013, Lawler and MacDonald are competing for its championship belt. But MacDonald sees far more changes that are only noticeable by cutting deeper.

“I have a new attitude,” MacDonald said. “I’ve come a long way, and I feel at my best right now.”

MacDonald and Lawler, both notoriously laconic in interviews, agree that they’re both significantly different fighters from the first meeting. They see the changes as drastic enough that there’s no value in revisiting the first fight.

Neither MacDonald not Lawler watched film of the matchup, leaving it up to their coaches to review and adjust game plans.

“I’m not too worried about where he was at that point,” Lawler said. “I’m worried about where I am today ... I’m doing what got me that title, which is working hard and learning.”

Lawler followed the victory over MacDonald with four exceptional performances. Although he lost a narrow unanimous-decision to Johny Hendricks in his next fight, Lawler responded by winning three in a row, including avenging the close defeat at UFC 181 to capture the title.

MacDonald is one of the only welterweights with a run that can even compare to Lawler’s over the last year and a half. He stormed through highly ranked contenders Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley and Tarec Saffiedine to earn the shot at Lawler.

It’s the type of tear he envisioned at the airport gate the day after UFC 167.

“I really want to fight someone good right away,” MacDonald recalled telling coach Firas Zahabi and manager Lex McMahon. “I really feel like I need to do that.”

From the moment he debuted in the UFC as a 20-year-old, MacDonald had championship expectations. Many fans tabbed him as the successor to St. Pierre and came away disappointed with his progress when Hendricks and Lawler beat him to the throne.

But MacDonald has nothing negative to say about his career arc. The loss to Lawler, or more accurately the ensuing reflection, was one of his most important experiences.

“I’ve come a long way since that fight,” MacDonald said. “I’m just practicing new techniques and I’ve become a whole new fighter since then.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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