Didn't see these photos of Robbie Lawler's split lip? Consider yourself lucky

Robbie Lawler defines violence. He’s willing to take serious damage just to dish out some of his own, and Saturday’s UFC 189 co-main-event bout with Rory MacDonald was the perfect example.

The “Fight of the Year” candidate was one of the most memorable back-and-forth championship fights in UFC history. Lawler (26-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) ultimately defended his welterweight title when he stopped MacDonald (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) via fifth-round knockout.

It was a damaging encounter for both parties – so much so that they were both dismissed of post-fight obligations and sent directly to the hospital for repairs.

Lawler’s first title defense didn’t come easy. MacDonald took the early damage in the form of a broken nose, but he handed it right back when he rallied in the third and fourth rounds:

Rory MacDonald

“Red King” opened a horrific gash on Lawler’s lip that the champion fought through up until the dramatic finish:

Robbie Lawler

It was a graphic scene on the face of Lawler, who improved to 8-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2013. However, he battled through it and even gave a passionate speech in his post-fight interview. It didn’t go unnoticed by his boss.

“Robbie Lawler’s lip, if you could’ve been in the octagon and saw his lip, he would talk, and this part of the lip would move, and the other part wouldn’t,” UFC President Dana White recalled at the post-fight press conference.

USA TODAY Sports photographer Joe Camporeale was on-scene for UFC 189 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and got an up-close photo gallery of the co-main-event brawl. Check out the full gallery below.

And for complete coverage of UFC 189, check out the UFC Events section of the site.