Rory MacDonald Faces Robbie Lawler for Title at UFC 189

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced on Wednesday that welterweight champion Robbie Lawler would defend his belt against second-ranked Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 on July 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC president Dana White broke the news during a special press conference to address performance-enhancing drug use within the organization.

MacDonald was originally scheduled to face sixth-ranked Hector Lombard at UFC 186 on April 25, but the fight fell through when Lombard returned a positive drug test for a designer steroid following his UFC 182 win over Josh Burkman on Jan. 3.

Lawler won the 170-pound title at UFC 181 in December by defeating Johny Hendricks by unanimous decision in a rematch. He holds a split decision win over MacDonald from UFC 167 in November 2013. The rematch with MacDonald will be Lawler’s first title defense.

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