PHOTO: A mangled Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler hang out in the hospital

It was a fight that was bound to shorten lives.

For more than four rounds at UFC 189 on Saturday night, Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler engaged in one of the greatest fights in UFC history, doling out what felt like three lifetimes worth of punishment in a mere 21 minutes.

When the bloody mist cleared, MacDonald had a horrifically broken nose, a broken foot, and both eyes were swollen shut. Sporting a crimson mask and a butchered lip, Lawler didn't fare much better, though he did emerge with the welterweight title firmly wrapped around his waist.

Neither man would make it to the post-fight press conference. Instead, they had a very different meeting at the hospital.

Of course, rugged battles like this come with a price, and sometimes, the price is terrifying.

"When Rory got out back, they asked him what year is it and he didn't know what year it was," UFC President Dana White said at the post-fight press conference, according to Sherdog.com's Tristen Critchfield. "It was a complete display of chin, heart, grit, dogged determination and the will to win from both guys. When I said (best) fight ever, that’s what I’m talking about."

Scary stuff.