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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler, has put together one of the most impressive runs in the history of the 170-pound division, but when you look at his career inside the Octagon, you might think he owes the matchmakers money.
Heading into his Ben Askren fight at UFC 235 last March in Las Vegas, “Ruthless” had already registered 12 fights in his second stint with UFC, which came after the dissolution of Strikeforce back in early 2013 (damn those sneaky Americans).
Of those 12 fights, 10 of them were against opponents ranked in the Top 5 and four of those opponents were current or former champions. That span also resulted in four violent knockouts (sample them here) and five post-fight bonuses.
Simply put, Lawler is a bad motherfucker.
That’s why I’m kinda sad to see him compete against former interim welterweight champion and No. 2-ranked contender, Colby Covington, in the UFC on ESPN 5 main event this Sat. (Aug. 3, 2019) inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Not because I expect him to lose, it’s just … I dunno, I guess it’s depressing to watch the God of War headline one of the shittiest fight cards of the year against an opponent who hires strippers and spoils movie endings to get attention.
“I don’t really pay attention to those things,” Lawler told MMA Junkie. “It’s not a reflection of me. He’s doing what he thinks he needs to do to create whatever he needs to create and I’m just going to stay in my lane and train hard and get ready for fight.
“I don’t really care (what he says). It doesn’t bother me. I’m happy, my family’s happy, I’m happy with where I’m going and how I’m doing. I don’t really look in the past and I’m trying to learn and keep growing and be a better fighter and be a better person.”
Covington is talented. No one gets to 14-1 as a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter by accident, but his last four wins have all been ho-hum decisions. Maybe the UFC braintrust figures Lawler will either knock his head into the fourth row, or provide a big enough “name” to convince UFC fans that a victorious “Chaos” deserves the next welterweight title shot against Kamaru Snoozeman.
Lawler (28-13, 1 NC) turned 37 back in March and can’t afford another loss after already losing his last two (and three of his last five). It’s now been over four years since “Ruthless” finished a fight and being unable to get past Covington would jeopardize his spot in the Top 15 (he currently sits at No. 11).
A victory, however, puts him right back in the thick of things where he belongs. I know I speak for a lot of fans when I say the first three minutes of his Askren bout is why I never miss a Lawler fight and I think the sport could use one last “Ruthless” run.
It seems like all you ever hear these days are complaints about matchmaking. “Cyborg” can’t get that Amanda Nunes rematch, Corey Anderson won’t be fighting Jon Jones, and every champion with a new belt wants to change lanes.
As for Lawler, he’s a throwback to an earlier time when UFC fighters got their assignments, showed up on weight, and went hard for all three rounds. No diarrhea of the mouth, no run-ins with the law, and no excuses for losing.
I don’t know how much longer we get to keep him, but I promise you’ll miss him when he’s gone.