Robbie Lawler Fighter Profile
- Age: 42
- Weight Class: Welterweight/Middleweight
- Years Active (UFC): 2013-2023
- Country of Birth: USA
- Pro MMA Record: 30-16-0
- Knockout Wins: 22
- Submission Wins: 1
- Nickname: Ruthless
- Championships Won: UFC Welterweight, EliteXC Middleweight
- Team: Kill Cliff FC
- Career Earnings Estimate: 3,759,000 USD
Robbie Lawler Was Trained to Be Ruthless
Under the tutelage of mixed martial arts legend Pat Miletich, the first ever UFC Welterweight champion, a young 16-year-old Robbie Lawler was in the perfect hands to begin an MMA career. However, nobody expected the teenager to make his professional debut in 2001, let alone do it emphatically. The UFC came calling after four fights and four knockout wins on the MMA regional scene, capturing the attention of fans and the best UFC betting sites.
Pat Miletich Systems was a gym known for creating savages. It boasted a crew of tough bast*rds renowned for treating sparring sessions like actual fights. Miletich didn’t exactly present such a style in the cage, though. He was a technical craftsman when technical game plans were rare.
It was months between Miletich’s UFC retirement and his prospect, Lawler, leaping to the same big leagues. While many thought we might see a similar style between coach and trainee, it was far from it. Behind an aggressive forward pressure, the All-State wrestling honors Lawler previously captured in college were used to keep fights where he wanted them… standing so that he could unleash violence on those across the octagon.
Lawler’s early tenure didn’t exactly go according to plan. It was easy to see he had something special. Still, the shark-infested waters of the UFC were too much too soon, so he parted ways with the company, collected championships as a middleweight in ICON Sport, EliteXC, as well as a short stint for PRIDE FC, and finally, Strikeforce. He’d made an impression on UFC matchmakers during his time at their sister company, Strikeforce. Although his record wasn’t perfect when the smaller promotion fizzled, he was among the lucky fighters gifted a position on the UFC roster.
It’s no secret that he was undersized at 185lbs, so a return to welterweight made complete sense. Due to his relentless striking approach, Lawler had been a fan favorite no matter what promotion he was fighting for. Still, nobody expected the incredible streak of success he was about to go on in the UFC’s 170-pound weight class.
The nickname “Ruthless” never became more apparent than in his second UFC run, and to this day, many of us will wince at some of the damage he dealt his opponents en route to making the dream a reality!
UFC Welterweight Gold: Making the Dream a Reality
Lawler’s second run in the UFC presented a leveled-up version of the young and hungry savage we’d previously watched. Not only was he training with American Top Team (One of the most respected gyms in MMA history), but his unforgiving punching power was now being polished by the mastermind, Mike Brown.
Upon his return to the UFC, matchmakers didn’t make it easy for Lawler by giving him a former title challenger and top-ranked mainstay in Josh Koscheck. The doubters were soon silenced, though, and in a fight where he was expected to get out-wrestled and dominated on the ground, “Ruthless,” as a +295 underdog at the top sportsbooks, sent his foe packing in the first round via a brutal knockout stoppage.
What most of us didn’t consider was his experience fighting huge middleweight grapplers such as Jacare Souza and Jake Shields. Even in those losing contests, Lawler could remove himself from the bottom position. When Koscheck’s wrestling skills were the task at hand, he would effortlessly scoop-grip himself back to a standing position as a significantly lighter foe presented much lesser grounded threats.
Scrambling abilities and cage wrestling were masterfully crafted into Lawler’s game, and this ATT training he’d undergone was undoubtedly a huge help as he would eventually become the gym’s first-ever UFC champion.
Lawler’s title campaign involved nine fights, and this 8-1 run was something of beauty. His only loss came in a close split decision to Johny Hendricks, and while this was a failed attempt at claiming gold, it wouldn’t be long before the title was his. He collected a KO of the night, four Fight of the Night awards, and three Fights of the Year in those nine fights!
Few were greater than “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler throughout those three years. He avenged the Hendricks loss, defeated one of the division’s most talented, Rory MacDonald, twice, and also picked up wins over big names Koscheck, Matt Brown, Jake Ellenberger, and Carlos Condit.
To this very day, Lawler vs. MacDonald at UFC 189 is regarded as the greatest fight in UFC history, and it was this fight that saw him inducted into the UFC HOF last year.
The Most Robbie Lawler Retirement
Nothing lasts forever, and unfortunately, Lawler’s legendary run was hit with a dramatic turn in results. Between 2016 and 2022, he went 2-6, and for the first time ever, a robust chin that had never been broken in two decades was shattered by Tyron Woodley and later Bryan Barberena.
Therefore, retirement was on the horizon. Aged 41 in 2023, “Ruthless” remained in excellent shape despite his age, but as any intelligent fighter will do, he’d accepted his time in the sport was about to end. The 2-6 run wasn’t the same Robbie fans had once known, but he loved fighting so much and gave so much to his supporters that he couldn’t help but arrange one last fight.
UFC 290 in 2023 was the event, and Niko Price was the opponent. Lawler had to be great for 15 more minutes. But in true Lawler fashion, he didn’t need 15 minutes, and as fans chanted his name one last time, he epically flatlined Price in 39 seconds with a patterned flurry of hooks.
Robbie Lawler embodies a warrior spirit with remarkable strength and physical stamina. Despite his extensive career, he has emerged as a significant name in the history of MMA and is renowned as one of the most formidable fighters in the welterweight division.
MMA fanatics will forever remember Robbie Lawler. His unwavering dedication to performing at his highest level inside the cage has established him as one of the sport’s most exceptional competitors. He concluded his professional fighting career at 41 with an impressive record of 30 victories, 16 defeats, and 1 no-contest.
Thank you, “Ruthless. ”
Robbie Lawler Mixed Martial Arts Accomplishments
The Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Welterweight Champion (One time, two defenses)
- UFC Fight of the Night (Five times)
- Fight of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016)
- UFC Knockout of the Night (One time)
- UFC Fighter of the Year (2014)
- UFC Hall of Fame (Class of 2023, Fight Wing vs. Rory MacDonald)
Elite Xtreme Combat
- EliteXC Middleweight Champion (One time, one defense, final)
ICON Sport
- ICON Sport Middleweight Champion (Twice)
Superbrawl
- Superbrawl Middleweight Champion (One time, final)
