3 Most Ruthless Moments of Robbie Lawler's MMA Career
By Michael Luciano
Robbie Lawler has been one of the most entertaining fighters across MMA for the last dozen years, both due to his brash style in pre-fight interviews and his ability to back it all up when he steps into the cage. With Ruthless Robbie celebrating his 38th birthday today, there's no better time to look back at the most bone-crunching, exhilarating, moments that one of the most memorable welterweights in mixed martial arts history has given us.
3. Beating Johny Hendricks For His First Title In 2014
Already an EliteXC middelweight champ, Lawler picked up his first UFC strap at UFC 181, when he avenged a previous loss against Johny Hendricks and picked up the welterweight title in as convincing a fashion as we've ever seen in a split decision. This is the fight that shot Lawler up the pound-for-pound rankings and established him as a fearsome UFC fighter. He would make two more defenses before Tyron Woodley took his belt, and while Lawler has struggled of late, MMA fans will find it hard to forget what a beast he was in his prime.
2. "I Would Take His Soul."
Lots of UFC fighters try to talk and act taught to sell a fight, but Lawler's venom feels way too real. While promoting the Woodley fight in 2016, he asked during an Atlanta television interview about the prospect of a potential fight against Conor McGregor, and Ruthless Robbie responded in impeccably classic fashion. "If I hurt him, I wasn't taking his neck," he said. "What were you going to take?" asked interviewer Zach Klein. "His soul," the champ responded, utterly deadpan. Whoa, man!! This fight never happened, of course, but it would be one of the most entertaining showcases in recent UFC memory if Dana White ever put this on.
1. Rematch With Rory McDonald at UFC 189
While this fight doesn't have the gravity of a Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns super-fight, Lawler's second bout against Rory McDonald was arguably the most entertaining showdown in the history of the UFC for the exact same reasons that Hagler-Hearns lives on to this day. Here were two guys at the height of their powers wailing on each other non-stop until one was unable to continue. The raw brutality of mixed martial arts is one of the main factors that makes this sport so compelling, and this blood-soaked welterweight melee is the epitome of that concept.