Robbie Lawler: The “Ruthless” Fighter Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame

Robbie Lawler, widely known as “Ruthless,” has earned this nickname through a remarkable 22-year career in MMA, marked by some of the sport’s most legendary knockouts and fights. Later this month, he will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for the second time, having previously made history with his iconic rematch against Rory MacDonald, which took place in 2023.

The fight between Lawler and MacDonald is often regarded as one of the greatest in MMA history. It gained immense recognition, being part of the unforgettable UFC 189 event in 2015, which also featured the highly anticipated interim featherweight title fight between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes. Lawler disclosed on “The Ariel Helwani Show” that his co-main event status during his first welterweight title defense served as a significant motivation throughout the lead-up to the fight.

“Leading up to that fight, Rory never realized it, but we were second fiddle that whole freaking build-up,” Lawler remarked. He conveyed his feelings of being sidelined, stating he was training hard while aware they were overshadowed by the hype surrounding Aldo and McGregor. After having five fights in just 13 months, he finally had a chance to fully prepare and was ready to prove himself, even when Mendes replaced Aldo two weeks before their matchup.

A defining moment for Lawler outside the cage was his viral remark about McGregor’s loss to Nate Diaz in 2016. Instead of opting for submission like Diaz did, Lawler boldly stated he would have taken McGregor’s soul. With 22 of his 30 wins coming by knockout, Lawler has never embraced a submission-heavy style throughout his career. “I want to beat people up. That’s how I fought,” he explained.

Lawler, who specified that he didn’t attempt a single submission during his UFC tenure, emphasized that for him, dominating an opponent without any tricks is much more satisfying than relying on submission tactics. “If you submit somebody, there’s tricks, right? But if you whoop somebody’s ass, there’s really no trick to that,” he articulated.

Since his dramatic retirement fight against Niko Price in July 2023, where he scored a knockout in just 38 seconds, Lawler has enjoyed life away from the Octagon. However, the allure of a potential return has surfaced, especially with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) trying to entice him back for a match against star fighter Mike Perry. Lawler, however, reaffirmed that he remains committed to retirement, despite BKFC’s interest.

“Not really,” Lawler replied when questioned about the possibility of fighting in BKFC. He acknowledged that discussions had taken place but reiterated that he is still under contract with the UFC. He intriguingively mentioned, “A fight’s a fight, right?” drawing attention to his early experiences in combat sports that lacked many modern regulations.