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Former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler lists his favorite fighters to watch in the Octagon.
As one of the toughest fighters in the UFC, it’s no surprise to see Robbie Lawler use ‘toughness’ as his main criteria when judging his favorite fellow fighters.
Speaking to Complex in a recent interview Lawler, the former UFC welterweight champion, listed Israel Adesanya, Dustin Poirier and Jorge Masvidal as his three favorite fighters to watch compete in the Octagon.
“I like watching the ‘Stylebender’ fight,” Lawler said, per Abhinav Kini of The Body Lock MMA. “He’s a clean striker. Off the top of my head, I like watching Dustin Poirier fight. I love watching Masvidal fight.
“Pretty much guys that I know that I can appreciate their toughness. Because there’s more to fighting than techniques. You can learn techniques but when push comes to shove, who are you as a fighter? If you stripped all your skills away, all your techniques, all your strength, are you still a fighter or are you going to puss out?”
Adesanya showcased his toughness earlier this year in a Fight of the Year candidate against Kelvin Gastelum, where he rallied back from adversity to win the interim middleweight title in the UFC 236 co-main event. ‘The Last Stylebender’ will take on Robert Whittaker in a middleweight title unification bout at UFC 243 on October 6.
Poirier, 30, has earned a reputation as one of the toughest and most well-rounded fighters in the UFC by notching four straight wins over Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez and Max Holloway, beating the latter to win the interim lightweight title at UFC 236. ‘The Diamond’ will take on official lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 on Sept. 7.
Masvidal, 34, earned his tough-guy reputation on the streets of Miami, Florida, where he competed in bare knuckle fights under the late Kimbo Slice. ‘Gamebred’ most recently fought at UFC 239, where he knocked out Ben Askren with a flying knee just five seconds into the opening round. The ex-street fighter is expected to challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title sometime later this year.
As for Lawler, the 37-year-old MMA veteran will take on former interim middleweight champ Colby Covington next month, August 5 at UFC on ESPN 5. The event is scheduled to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.