2015 MMA Fight of the Year

It was 21 minutes of crushed noses, split lips, and carved-up visages.

A welterweight title story told in five grueling, breathtaking, spectacular parts. Robbie Lawler - author of arguably the greatest career turnaround in MMA history - emerged from the bloody mist of UFC 189 with the belt firmly strapped around his waist, while his opponent, Rory MacDonald, laid on the canvas bloody and vanquished.

The co-main event of one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, Lawler and MacDonald violently wrested the spotlight from the much hyped headliner featuring the brash force of nature known as Conor McGregor, who delivered a scintillating performance in his own right.

For four-plus rounds, Lawler and MacDonald battered each other with everything including the kitchen sink, the bathroom vanity, and the living room credenza. As the fight progressed, Lawler, his mouth split and tattered like a twisted jack-o-lantern, looked as though he was fading badly, as MacDonald - his nose bent and destroyed by Lawler jackhammers - appeared poised to capture the welterweight mantle once promised to him as the heir apparent to the great Georges St-Pierre.

Instead of "The Red King's" coronation, however, Lawler rallied back, eventually felling the 26-year-old Canadian with a crushing left hand in the opening minute of the fifth and final stanza.

Savage beauty.

Honorable Mentions

Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne at UFC 187 - Arlovski and Browne were able to pack a lifetime's worth of ultraviolence in less than five minutes. Browne repeatedly dented Arlovski's crumbling chin with heavy artillery, only to have the rejuvenated "Pit Bull" survive the onslaught and unleash some punishment of his own, closing out the bout with a vicious uppercut and a blistering right hand.

Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 - In a wonderful 25 minutes of razor-close, back-and-forth action, Daniel Cormier solidified his grasp on the light heavyweight title with a split-decision victory over Alexander Gustafsson. Cormier started strong, while his lanky Swedish foe gained momentum as the fight went deeper into the championship rounds, ultimately leading to split cards in one of the best battles of the year.