And with that, “Ruthless” walks away from the sport with a final knockout win under his belt.
It couldn’t have gone better for Robbie Lawler during his retirement fight at UFC 290 tonight (Sat., July 8, 2023) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lawler came into the event knowing his bout with Niko Price would be his last. Most fighters don’t get to ride away on a win. It’s just the nature of the fight game. But, “Ruthless” caught Price early with a right hand and then boxed him up in the clinch to fold “The Hybrid.”
The 41-year-old Lawler defied the odds, bouncing a hard right off Price’s skull and then throwing one of his classic vicious uppercuts up the middle. After Price went down, so did Lawler. The former Welterweight champion was so overwhelmed by emotions that he got on his knees and just soaked up the moment.
Watch the highlights and finish here care of ESPN:
A FAIRYTALE ENDING FOR ROBBIE LAWLER @Ruthless_RL with a knockout victory in his final fight! #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/YnBqgocreG
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
Robbie Lawler knocks out Niko Price in his retirement fightpic.twitter.com/NNad0Eu96d
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 9, 2023
Wow.
A standing ovation for Ruthless Robbie Lawler before he even steps into the Octagon for the final time.
A real one #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/y1GmGHAtPJ
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) July 9, 2023
Goosebumps! #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/lEtZvgButL
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) July 9, 2023
Robbie Lawler’s final walk to the octagon. #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/OAmfeOxCjg
— Helen Yee (@HelenYeeSports) July 9, 2023
Lawler retires from the sport with a 30-16 record. After years of being a badass samurai across various worldwide promotions, “Ruthless” made an unlikely run for UFC’s 170-pound title, taking the belt off Johny Hendricks in their second fight. He’d lose that belt to Tyron Woodley, but you can’t take away the amazing feat he accomplished winning the belt against all odds.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 290 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard bouts on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 290: “Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 290 fight card and PPV lineup click here.