Robbie Lawler has offered up his reaction to being booked for the UFC 276 pay-per-view (PPV) preliminary card. Lawler will face off against Bryan Barberena on the UFC 276 preliminary card. This news might come as a shock to some longtime fight fans, as Lawler is one of the most recognized names in the history…
Robbie Lawler has offered up his reaction to being booked for the UFC 276 pay-per-view (PPV) preliminary card.
Lawler will face off against Bryan Barberena on the UFC 276 preliminary card. This news might come as a shock to some longtime fight fans, as Lawler is one of the most recognized names in the history of the welterweight division, a former world champion, and one of the most exciting fighters to have ever entered the Octagon.
“Ruthless” has usually been featured in PPV spots for his fights the past several years for those very reasons. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Lawler offered his thoughts on being booked for the prelims this time around.
Although he admits he was surprised at first, Lawler actually views this as a good thing.
“I’m not going to lie: I was surprised,” Lawler said. “I’m like, ‘OK, whatever.’ I get to get out of there earlier, which is nice. I wish they just put me first. Start the show and then get out. Maybe fly home.”
Lawler is currently looking to put together his first win streak since 2016. His last time out, Lawler ended a four-fight losing skid by stopping Nick Diaz back in September of last year. Now, he’ll take on 33-year-old veteran Barberena.
Barberena recently strung together back-to-back wins with victories over Darian Weeks and Matt Brown. His last Octagon appearance resulted in a split decision victory over Brown back in March.
Now, he’s hoping to make it three-straight win a win over a former world champion in Lawler.
UFC 276 goes down live on PPV from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 2, 2022.
What do you think about Robbie Lawler fighting on the preliminary card of UFC 276? Do you think he should be on the PPV? Let us know in the comments!
A beloved UFC legend, Matt Brown is known for his deadly striking and ‘never say die’ attitude in the cage. However, it’s also impressive to think despite all his professional fights; Brown has only missed weight a single time. And now, he’s revealing the strange story that caused the weight miss. “I missed weight one […]
A beloved UFC legend, Matt Brown is known for his deadly striking and ‘never say die’ attitude in the cage. However, it’s also impressive to think despite all his professional fights; Brown has only missed weight a single time. And now, he’s revealing the strange story that caused the weight miss.
“I missed weight one time in my life, and there’s a funny story behind that.” Matt Brown told MMA Fighting. “It was when I was fighting Robbie Lawler, and I didn’t have time to cut the weight. It was back when they were at 4:30 (the weigh-ins). I had to get on the bus, and I called Bert, and I said, ‘man, I need like 20 more minutes. I got half a pound to go.’”
“He said, ‘no, you gotta get on the bus right now. You’ll have an hour after the weigh-ins (to make weight)’,” Brown recalled.
The Bizarre Story of a Fake UFC Doctor that Caused Fighters like Matt Brown and More to Miss Weight
“So I go there, get weighed in, and I’m sitting in the back, and this guy is like posing as one of the doctors. And he said: ‘I seen you out there cutting weight. You can’t cut any more weight. You need to rehydrate’ So, I started drinking water,” Matt Brown declared.
“Dana comes over like 5 minutes later,” Brown continued, “And he’s like: ‘hey, did somebody just tell you not to cut weight?’ He goes, ‘that dude is not a doctor. I don’t know who that guy is’ And I guess he told somebody else not to cut weight either… And that was the last I heard of it.”
Matt Brown would say that he told Dana White he could attempt to cut more weight and was just basically following the “fake doctors” orders. Of course, Brown didn’t know the doctor was fake until it was too late, so Brown said that Dana and the UFC basically brushed the whole strange series of events aside.
What was even more strange is apparently, the fake UFC doctor told multiple fighters to stop cutting weight that day, and Brown wasn’t the only one unfortunate enough to get bamboozled by the fake doc.
Is this the strangest story you’ve ever heard from the MMA world? If not, what is?
Jake Shields is hoping that his longtime training partner Nick Diaz takes his camp serious for his next fight and does it right, rather than phone it in. Diaz had his first fight back in 2021 after a six year layoff. While it was his first fight back, Diaz did not look great against Robbie […]
Jake Shields is hoping that his longtime training partner Nick Diaz takes his camp serious for his next fight and does it right, rather than phone it in.
Diaz had his first fight back in 2021 after a six year layoff. While it was his first fight back, Diaz did not look great against Robbie Lawler. While he has aged considerably, Diaz had looked to be in the worst shape of his fighting career in that fight. Diaz is a fan favorite amongst MMA fans, but to see him go out there and try and put on a show with not enough training was hard to watch.
According to Dana White, Diaz wasn’t prepared enough for that fight and thought he may have been doing it out of necessity rather than wanting to perform again.
Now, Cesar Gracie is claiming that MMA fans should expect Diaz to come back before the year is up.
Jake Shields is looking out for his former training partner and wants him to get a solid training camp in if he is going to come back into the octagon by the end of the year.
“I think he wants to (fight again), but I really hope he has a proper camp and does it right,” Shields said on the JRE MMA Show (Transcribed by BloodyElbow)
“I think a lot of it was his motivation. He was kind of, like, pushed into the fight… the fight happened so quick, and he hadn’t been training at all. Then all of a sudden, he was, like, fighting in two months. It was this kind of rush, he didn’t have a chance to do a camp. Nick’s like a brother, I really hope he fights again. But he needs to make sure to properly do a camp.”
Diaz is one of the more memorable fighters in UFC history and everyone hopes he takes his training serious. The UFC is a better place with a determined Nick Diaz.
Would you like to see Nick Diaz back in the octagon?
Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler wants to see fighters earn more money during and after their careers. Lawler is back in the win column after earning a TKO win over Nick Diaz at UFC 266. Entering the highly-anticipated rematch with Diaz, Lawler had lost four straight and hadn’t earned a win since 2017. Lawler…
Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler wants to see fighters earn more money during and after their careers.
Lawler is back in the win column after earning a TKO win over Nick Diaz at UFC 266. Entering the highly-anticipated rematch with Diaz, Lawler had lost four straight and hadn’t earned a win since 2017.
Lawler is one of the OGs of the fight game. Going back to his UFC debut at UFC 37, he has been arguably one of the biggest fan favorites in the sport.
Lawler is still intent on performing at a high level, even in the latter stages of his professional career. But during a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, he admitted there’s still one change he wants to see be made in MMA.
“I would obviously like the fighters to get paid more,” Lawler said. “But, I’d also like them to have something like a pension after the fact, so that they’re getting paid—those types of things. Obviously, everyone’s not going to make it to the highest level and make a whole bunch of money winning world titles, but once you get to the UFC, Bellator – these bigger organizations – I think there needs to be some sort of—kind of like the NFL does. I mean they take care of their guys after—at least try to. And the NBA does a great job, and baseball probably does the same thing, where guys are still continuing to get something after they’re done with the sport. So if there’s a way that we could get this for the fighters it’d be awesome.”
Lawler has been around the fight game for years, and he believes that it’s time for fighters to be treated fairly and compensated correctly for their efforts.
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson is targeting a return to the Octagon in the coming months and has two promotional veterans in mind.
At the start of 2021, Thompson was riding a two-fight win streak and was fresh off a dominant main event…
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson is targeting a return to the Octagon in the coming months and has two promotional veterans in mind.
At the start of 2021, Thompson was riding a two-fight win streak and was fresh off a dominant main event victory over Geoff Neal. His target over the next 12 months was to secure his third title shot in the UFC.
But instead of booking a date with reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman, “Wonderboy” slipped down the rankings with back-to-back setbacks.
In his first appearance of the year, Thompson faced recent title challenger and top-three welterweight Gilbert Burns. At the time, many believed a victory over “Durinho” would have secured the 38-year-old another opportunity to reach the mountaintop. However, in the UFC 264 co-main event, he was controlled and beaten on the scorecards by the Brazilian.
Fast forward five months to December’s UFC Vegas 45, and Thompson had a quick chance to rebound and keep his place in the title conversation. But in a similar fashion to his previous outing, he was taken down and convincingly out-grappled, this time by rising name Belal Muhammad.
Despite yet another setback and his close proximity to the 40-year-old milestone, Thompson isn’t letting his championship aspirations disintegrate just yet. Spurred on by his desire to become the promotion’s oldest fighter, “Wonderboy” is ready to set things right in 2022.
During a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Thompson provided an update on his return. While an April fight is his current target, “Wonderboy” did reveal he is awaiting an MRI scan on his collarbone, which he’s experienced pain on since his defeat to Muhammad on December 18.
“Well, I wanna get back in April. I’ve got an MRI I’ve gotta do on my collarbone; It’s been killing me after the last fight,” said Thompson. “When Belal Muhammad picked me up and threw me down, I ended up putting my arm out and we both landed on my shoulder. I kinda jacked my collarbone up. So, I’m still training but usually, after every training session, it’s giving me some problems… But I wanna fight again in April. I’m not sure who yet.”
Nevertheless, Thompson doesn’t believe it’s too serious and hopes to have the chance to end his losing skid in the second quarter of the year.
Despite suggesting he’s looking to avoid an overwhelming wrestler in his next matchup, “Wonderboy” did admit he’s open to a “jiu-jitsu vs. karate” clash with grappling specialist Michael Chiesa.
“At this point, I would say, let’s hold off on the wrestlers real quick [LAUGHS]. The last few guys I just got obliterated… I think (Chiesa) would be a good opponent, for sure… I mean, he does have a name and he’s a good buddy of mine too, so I think that’d be a fun one,” added Thompson. “Obviously I’m gonna try and keep that fight standing because his jiu-jitsu is good. You saw his last fight with Vicente Luque, getting submitted, that’s kind of always been a thing. I’ve seen him start wrestling guys and him wrestling himself into a submission; getting sucked into a guillotine or triangle.
Michael Chiesa, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“He’s doing work at 170. I think I can outstrike him, I can out-move him, for sure. If we fought, I’d definitely look to keep the fight standing. But he fights fairly stiff. Maybe that’s why he’s so strong. He’s got that muscle. I think it would be a fun fight, it would definitely be one of those jiu-jitsu vs. karate guys again.”
But if he’s focusing solely on another striker he can trade blows with, who better than welterweight legend and former champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler?
“I think (Lawler) would be a really fun fight, especially for the fans. I’ve been trying to fight this guy since he was champion. I think that would be a great fight, even though he’s not ranked at this point, I would love (it). It would be an honor to fight a legend, and exciting, it would be an exciting fight. Two guys going out there striking it up. That would be awesome,” concluded Thompson.
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Despite consecutive defeats in the Octagon, Thompson remains a fan favorite and a name most will always be excited to watch. “Wonderboy” will hope to put his entertaining and slick striking style on full display again in 2022 after an underwhelming last 12 months.
Who would you prefer to see Stephen Thompson face next, Michael Chiesa or Robbie Lawler?
Former UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson says he “totally” respects Nick Diaz for the way he ended his return fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. After a near-seven-year hiatus following his five-round clash with Anderson Silva at UFC 183, Diaz entered the Octagon again at last month’s pay-per-view. In a rematch over 17 years […]
Former UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson says he “totally” respects Nick Diaz for the way he ended his return fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.
After a near-seven-year hiatus following his five-round clash with Anderson Silva at UFC 183, Diaz entered the Octagon again at last month’s pay-per-view. In a rematch over 17 years in the making, the Stockton native faced former UFC Welterweight Champion Lawler. Despite being winless since 2011, many expected Diaz to record a second career victory over “Ruthless.” He knocked Lawler out in the second round when they first met at UFC 47 in 2004.
A late request from the Diaz camp to change the bout from 170 to 185 pounds was an early sign that he perhaps wasn’t in the condition that many had hoped. Despite showing glimpses of his former entertaining self, and throwing at an immense volume considering his lengthy layoff, the time away and the strikes he’d absorbed in the opening two frames caught up with Diaz in the third round. Less than a minute into it, the 38-year-old was sent to the canvas by a hard shot. After choosing to remain on his knee, the fight was waved off and Lawler evened the score.
Part of the talk after the fight surrounded Diaz’s decision to put an end to the fight by not returning to his feet. In what was considered to be uncharacteristic of a personality like the Stockton star, many were surprised to see the veteran throw in the towel.
“Yeah, I think as you get older, you realize there’s just some things where you’re like, ‘Alright.’ I felt like when he took a knee, I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s had enough.’ Like, he had enough of what was going on. I don’t know if he broke his nose, but he got hit really hard in his nose. I think he was like, ‘I’m good. I don’t need to do this right now.’ And I totally respect him. A lot of people might look at him different, but hey, that’s what’s up. I’m happy that he was like, ‘You know, I’m good. I’m just gonna chill, and it is what it is.’”
When asked whether Diaz set a precedent that more competitors should follow, Johnson suggested he’d like to see more fighters save themselves from unnecessary damage.
“It could be. Yeah, why not? I mean, if a fighter said, ‘Hey, I’m getting beat, my orbital bone’s broken, my right hand’s broken, I got massive cuts—whatever it may be, the start of the fifth round, I’m absolutely exhausted. I don’t feel I’m gonna knock him out. I’m just gonna call it, and throw in the towel, and save my brain for another day.’ I have no problem with that. I feel like that’s a logical answer. A lot of people might say, ‘Oh, he’s a pussy. He’s a bitch, da-da-da-da,’ but for me, I’m a grown man. I have children. I understand it.”
Do you agree with Demetrious Johnson? Should more fighters throw in the towel to avoid further damage?
A beloved UFC legend, Matt Brown is known for his deadly striking and ‘never say die’ attitude in the cage. However, it’s also impressive to think despite all his professional fights; Brown has only missed weight a single time. And now, he’s revealing the strange story that caused the weight miss. “I missed weight one […]
Jake Shields is hoping that his longtime training partner Nick Diaz takes his camp serious for his next fight and does it right, rather than phone it in. Diaz had his first fight back in 2021 after a six year layoff. While it was his first fight back, Diaz did not look great against Robbie […]
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