Ruthless: Robbie Lawler’s Rocky Road To UFC Glory

UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler has been making his bones as a knockout artist for over a decade.

The “Ruthless” one was a young brawler coming up in the UFC in the early 2000s, then jumped around to a variety of major organizations for the rest of the decade. Fighting for Pride, Icon Sport, EliteXC, and Strikeforce, one aspect of his fights was always the same: the heavy-handed slugger would look to take his opponent’s head off, and he had the power to do it.

But Lawler was plagued by inconsistency throughout his career. He failed to live up to expectations early on and fell to many of the elite fighters he faced. After each misstep, fans and pundits wondered if the athleticism, fighting spirit, and killer instinct would ever be enough to propel Lawler to the heights that he had seemed preordained to reach.

Since returning to welterweight in his latest UFC run, Lawler has undergone a renaissance. No longer is defense an afterthought for the former Miletich Fighting Systems and HIT Squad battler. The “Ruthless” one has become a much craftier striker while retaining his concussive power. His refined approach to fighting has granted Lawler a measure of consistency he had lacked for years, and enabled him to ascend to the top of the division. It has been a miraculous run few would have predicted a few short years ago.

Lawler will make his latest UFC title defense against Tyron Woodley in the UFC 201 headliner on July 30 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. As Lawler’s next epic fight draws closer, let us look back on his tumultuous career and the path he cut to finally reach the top.

First UFC Run

A teenage Lawler entered the UFC with a 4-0 record, all via stoppage, and quickly rattled off three more victories. The amazingly tough Aaron Riley was the only one to take Lawler the distance, as Steve Berger and Tiki Ghosn fell before the brick-fisted Pat Miletich protege. He hit a speed bump against Pete Spratt at UFC 42 in April 2003, but the defeat was blamed on a hip injury suffered during the bout. He quickly righted the ship in an exciting battle with the always-dangerous Chris Lytle at UFC 45 seven months later.

But things took an abrupt downturn from there. At UFC 47 in April 2004, Lawler took on a 20-year-old Nick Diaz. Many believed that the Cesar Gracie-trained Diaz would need to get the fight to the floor in order to have success against the notoriously heavy-handed “Ruthless”. But it was thought Lawler’s wrestling background would make that tough sledding for the Stockton native, making the 21-year-old Lawler the favorite.

Unfortunately for Lawler, the fight did not unfold as planned. Diaz’s reach and ever-improving boxing led him to tag Lawler repeatedly. He dazed Lawler with a 1-2 in the first. When Lawler attempted to close the distance and fire back, Diaz used an effective clinch to deter his foe’s forward movement. The result was that Lawler was knocked senseless by a Diaz jab in the second round, collapsing face-first to the mat in one of the most iconic highlights of the era.

In a move that has since become common practice for fighters following a loss, Lawler changed divisions. The UFC knew the kind of young, exciting star it had on its hands, and so entered him into a four-man middleweight tournament the brass likely expected him to win. In what became a theme for the middle part of his career, Lawler was tapped by an Evan Tanner triangle choke in the first round of his very next fight. With that disappointment, Robbie Lawler’s first foray into the Ultimate Fighting Championship came to an end.

Taking Over Icon Sport

Following his unceremonious exit from the UFC, Lawler went to work in other promotions. This was pre-TUF (The Ultimate Fighter), the time when Pride was likely the biggest and best promotion in the world, and so it was not quite the demotion it would be today.

“Ruthless” first touched down in Hawaii-based promotion Superbrawl. There he dispatched the organization’s poster boy, Falaniko Vitale, by vicious second-round knockout, claiming the Superbrawl middleweight title in the process.

After a one-off in uber-regional promotion King of the Cage (which he won by first-round armbar, the only traditional submission of his career), Lawler returned to Icon Sport. At this point, the organization had absorbed Superbrawl and rebranded its events under the Icon name. He rematched Vitale, this time for the inaugural Icon Sport middleweight strap on February 25, 2006, just seven months after their first encounter. The second time around, “Ruthless” dispatched Vitale even quicker, blasting the Hawaiian into unconsciousness in the very first round.

Lawler would encounter another speed bump in short order. His porous submission defense reared up once again in his very next fight. Lawler relinquished the Icon title to Jason “Mayhem” Miller by third-round arm-triangle choke on September 2, 2006.

The Miletich Training Systems export jumped around to different organizations for his next few fights, garnering impressive knockouts of Joey Villasenor in Pride and Eduardo Pamplona in the IFL. He returned to Icon Sport on March 31, 2007, where he squared off with new champion and former UFC title challenger Frank Trigg. After a grueling battle that left both men exhausted entering the championship rounds, Lawler iced Trigg with a final volley of clean punches in round four, reclaiming his Icon Sport middleweight title.

Winning The EliteXC Championship

Lawler then then took his talents to upstart promotion EliteXC, which had television deals with Showtime and CBS that were groundbreaking for MMA at the time. He claimed the organziation’s middleweight crown in his very first fight, using his trademark sledgehammer punches to cut down MMA legend Murilo “Ninja” Rua.

His first title defense ended in controversy, as an inadvertent eye poke left his opponent, Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith, unable to continue. The bout was ruled a No Contest.

Their rematch two months later would end in much less ambiguous fashion. The two had a competitive first round in which Smith found success with kicks and long straight punches, even staggering “Ruthless” with a 1-2. But Lawler ended the proceedings in second round. Clinch knees to the body sent Smith slumping to the canvas, and punches and soccer kicks to the body forced the referee to step in on Smith’s behalf.

The fight capped a three-year stretch during which Lawler went 8-1, establishing himself as one of the world’s premiere middleweights. The many knockouts he collected also confirmed him as an elite action fighter and legitimate draw. A few months later EliteXC shuttered its doors, and Lawler moved on to the San Jose, California-based Strikeforce.

Disappointing Strikeforce Career

Lawler debuted for the Scott Coker-led promotion against fellow EliteXC veteran Jake Shields. Shields had been the defunct promotion’s welterweight champion, but he took on “Ruthless” at middleweight. Shields followed the blueprint for defeating Lawler, submitting him with a first-round guillotine.

He followed the Shields loss by knocking Dutch kickboxing ace Melvin Manhoef senseless. Despite being picked apart with eviscerating leg and body kicks that left him limping, Lawler proved he is never out of a fight. Backed up against the cage, the American staggered and dropped Manhoef with a right hand. As “No Mercy” attempted to rise, he was met with a flush left hook that put him out completely.

Despite the signature victory over a like-minded head-hunting power puncher, the rest of Lawler’s Strikeforce tenure was marked by disappointment. He dropped decisions to Renato Sobral, Tim Kennedy, and Lorenz Larkin while submitting to “Jacare” Souza. His victories came over Matt Lindland and Adlan Amagov, decent but unheralded opponents.

As Strikeforce was purchased by UFC parent company Zuffa and its athletes made the transition to the Octagon, few thought this incarnation of Lawler would make much of an impact. After a 3-5 Strikeforce run that saw him lose to all of his elite opponents, Lawler was written off as one-dimensional and past his prime. The “Ruthless” one soon proved his doubters had another thing coming.

Return To UFC And First Title Run

Reentering the Octagon after more than eight years after he left it, Lawler also decided to return to the welterweight division. The elite grapplers he had recently faced who also had a significant strength and size advantage over him proved he would be facing an uphill climb in the division. That would be even more true in the deeper waters of the UFC talent pool.

The move to the UFC also prompted a change in camps for the longtime Miletich Fighting Systems stalwart. Lawler relocated to Coconut Creek, Florida, to join American Top Team (ATT), unquestionably one of the best gyms in the world. The tutelage of Ricardo Liborio and Mike Brown would pay dividends almost immediately.

After his recent string of disappointing performances, expectations were not particularly high for the former EliteXC champion. But “Ruthless” got a marquee opponent nonetheless when he was paired up with former title challenger Josh Koscheck. Since failing in his bid to unseat the inimitable Georges St. Pierre, Koscheck had won two of three, with his only loss being a contentious split decision verdict to Johny Hendricks.

The two met at UFC 157 on February 23, 2013, and Las Vegas had Koscheck pegged as significant favorite. The Lawler renaissance was on though. He stuffed the takedowns of the former All-American wrestler and dispatched “Kos” with knees and punches inside the first five minutes.

He next squared off with fellow Strikeforce alum and willing brawler Bobby Voelker five months later at UFC on FOX 8. “Ruthless” lived up to his moniker and looked as sharp as ever, cutting down Voelker with a second-round head kick.

After two straight victories, Lawler got a significant step up in competition. At UFC 167 on November 16, 2013, “Ruthless” faced the once-beaten 24-year-old phenom Rory MacDonald. Despite being taken down four times, Lawler out-struck the Tristar ace and escaped with a split decision victory. The win also earned him his first UFC title shot, something almost no one saw coming just one year earlier.

But the Cinderella run was not to be.

He would face Johny Hendricks for the vacant welterweight championship at UFC 171 on March 15, 2014. Hendricks had just taken longtime pound-for-pound great St. Pierre to the brink, and “GSP” vacated the title following the close call. Hendricks and Lawler went at it for four rounds, with each of them pretty clearly taking two rounds apiece. Lawler came out of his corner in the fifth ready to throw bombs and take home the strap. But Hendricks got a much-needed takedown in that crucial fifth round, neutralizing Lawler’s famous fists and sealing up the belt in the process.

Knocked back down the welterweight ladder, “Ruthless” was down but not out.

Finally Reaching The Belt And Epic Title Defenses

Back in the mix of potential contenders for the newly crowned champion’s belt, Lawler got back to doing what he does best: beating people up.

After a brief two-month turnaround, “Ruthless” got right back on the horse at UFC 173. He finished longtime top 10 170-pounder Jake Ellenberger in the third round with a brutal barrage of knees and punches, quickly re-establishing himself as a threat.

Lawler once again didn’t waste any time, fighting two months later in July 2014 at UFC on FOX 12. He went toe-to-toe with Matt “The Immortal” Brown with a spot opposite then-injured champ Hendricks on the line. The American Top Team rep had to overcome adversity, as Brown unleashed his trademark brutal offense. But Lawler took home a unanimous decision, sealing up his second title shot in less than a year.

At UFC 181 in December 2014, Lawler finally took home gold. In another close and back-and-forth battle with Hendricks, it was the “Ruthless” one who emerged with a decision this time around. The two power-punching southpaws put on 2014’s Fight of the Year at UFC 171, and completed Lawler’s unlikely ascension to the top of the welterweight mountain at UFC 181. Miraculously, it was also the first UFC championship ever to be brought back to the famed American Top Team.

But it is said that a fighter is not truly a champion until he defends his title. He did just that in the most epic fashion imaginable at UFC 189 on July 11, 2015. In a rematch with MacDonald, Lawler was down on the scorecards entering the fifth. He had nearly been stopped at the end of the third round, as one of the head kicks the “Red King” kept firing finally landed. But Lawler’s piston-like jab had broken the Canadian’s nose, leaving his face a bloody mess. Needing a finish in the final round, “Ruthless” fired a straight left that obliterated what remained of MacDonald’s nose. The challenger collapsed to his back, and Lawler retained the title. It was the runaway winner of Fight of the Year for 2015.

Lawler defended the title a second time at UFC 195 on January 2, 2016, against Carlos Condit, and may have locked up a third straight Fight of the Year. It once again took a fifth-round onslaught from the champion to prevent the belt from traveling back to New Mexico with “The Natural Born Killer”.

Cemented as the king of arguably the best weight class in the sport, “Ruthless” is now a pound-for-pound great, his run of excellence in the UFC decidedly not a fluke. He next goes to war with American Top Team stablemate Tyron Woodley at this weekend’s UFC 201. Win or lose, Lawler has accomplished something remarkable.

Left for dead three years ago, the hard-nosed battler proved that a resurgence is always possible.