It was a night when a special announcement made after the first pay-per-view bout threatened to overshadow one of the UFC’s best cards of the year.
The signing of former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Phil “CM Punk” Brooks to the UFC roster sent shockwaves through the mixed martial arts world. But it was the improbable career comeback of Robbie Lawler—once considered one of the best prospects the sport had ever seen—that will be the true enduring story of UFC 181.
Lawler‘s capture of the UFC welterweight championship with a split-decision win over Johny Hendricks in the main event was a narrow one along the thinnest of edges. I scored the fight for Hendricks, but the moments waiting for the decision to be announced in the arena were filled with the kind of knowledge that goes a little something like this: That was a close fight. I think Hendricks won. But I also think have this feeling that Lawler is going to get the nod.
And he did. Though judge Glenn Trowbridge’s 49-46 scorecard for Lawler bordered on egregious, it is hard to take issue with the decision as a whole. You cannot say Lawler did not come to fight; he vaulted out of his corner as if shot out of a cannon and attacked from the opening bell.
After that initial explosion, he disappeared for most of the middle rounds. It appeared he’d suffered some kind of injury, or an adrenaline dump; there was no way to explain his lack of offense.
But Hendricks did not capitalize. He landed plenty of strikes, but spent more time than he should’ve just pressing Lawler against the Octagon wall. And that is where Lawler scored points; Hendricks’ inactivity worked against him. It worked for Georges St-Pierre for years, but Hendricks is not afforded the same graces.
Lawler used those moments of downtime to land strikes of his own. They were moments that typically are not favored highly by mixed martial arts judges; on this occasion, however, Lawler came out on the winning side. And when Matt Hughes strapped the welterweight championship around Lawler‘s waist, it truly was the completion of an absolutely remarkable career comeback.
Think back to five years ago, or to the time Lawler was choked out by the much smaller welterweight Jake Shields. We viewed Lawler as a waste of potential, as someone who never lived up to what he could have ultimately been. How fitting is it, then, that it took a return trip to the UFC to truly reinvigorate Lawler, that he is better than ever as he approaches his 15th year in the sport?
The major takeaway from this fight, as it was with the first bout between Hendricks and Lawler, is that they are evenly matched. They are so very close in skill level, and even if they face off 10 times—and we will assuredly see them fight at least one more time—they would probably split wins and losses down the middle.
This is not Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, where one fighter has clearly demonstrated superiority over his opponent. This is a matchup of two outstanding fighters who are clearly on the same level.
We do not yet know what to make of Lawler‘s championship reign. His next opponent will be Rory MacDonald, and the title defense will likely happen in Canada. Lawler has already defeated MacDonald once. Beyond that, Hendricks will assuredly be waiting for one more go-round, and there is Tyron Woodley, Matt Brown, Tarec Saffiedine and others.
But this night belonged to Lawler. At long last, from the grinding days with Miletich and Hughes and Pulver all the way to the lows in Strikeforce, Lawler has returned from the abyss. At long last, he is a champion.
“What a fight,” Lawler said at the post-fight press conference. “What a fight.”
What a fight, indeed.
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