Midnight Mania! ‘Ruthless’ Retiring At UFC 290

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The career of a Welterweight legend is officia…


UFC 189: Lawler v MacDonald
Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The career of a Welterweight legend is officially coming to an end in 2023. During an announcement on Wednesday, UFC President Dana White revealed that former 170-pound champion and UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler would be retiring at UFC 290, which is scheduled for July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lawler’s opponent will be Niko Price,

“I found Robbie Lawler when he was 19 years old,” White said (via MMA Junkie). “UFC 290 will be final fight of his amazing 22 year career.”

It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that Lawler is hanging up the gloves at 41 years of age. Since losing the title in July 2016, “Ruthless” has really struggled inside the cage. He’s lost five of his last six bouts, defeating Nick Diaz via strikes to earn his sole victory in that span. He has lost mostly to ranked contenders and did earn “Fight of the Night” honors opposite Bryan Barberena last time out, but it’s been clear that Lawler’s career was winding down.

As for Price, “The Hybrid” is struggling a bit himself. He’s won just once in his last five bouts, as well as dealt with a significant knee injury that kept him out of the cage for just over a year. Still, Price is a fan favorite, because he can always be counted on to fight hard to the final bell and chase the finish.

All in all, it’s a very reasonable final fight for a beloved former champion. There is, however, one minor bit of controversy, as it’s been revealed that Lawler’s retirement will take place on the undercard. Hopefully, there will be time on air for a speech, because “Ruthless” deserves to have a final moment in the cage in front of the largest audience possible.

Insomnia

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.