Issue 118

August 2014

Fairy tales don’t always have happy endings. Robbie Lawler’s didn’t in his UFC title showdown against Johny Hendricks. But now ‘Ruthless’ is writing the story in his ongoing quest for the UFC 170lb crown.

Let’s face it, the fairy tale almost played out like a Brothers Grimm classic. There was the crestfallen, immature former people’s champion returning after almost a decade in exile – having finally become a man. A shining example of what we can all achieve with a little commitment and dedication, our knight swashbuckled his way to the uppermost ramparts of the UFC castle and valiantly challenged for the gilded crown.

But, as with all epic sagas, there was a final, cruel twist: Robbie Lawler wasn’t crowned king. He was defeated in the final battle, albeit narrowly, by new welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. The end.

Except it wasn’t. It could never have been. Because ‘Ruthless’ Robbie isn’t the kind of man to lie down following defeat, as he’s shown throughout his 13-year MMA career.

Had Lawler been able to defeat Hendricks to win the vacant 170lb title back in March, the Octagon would have been celebrating, arguably, the greatest tale in its rich two-decade history. A tale that would have had Disney banging on the door for the movie rights.

Unfortunately, Lawler wasn’t able to follow the script laid down for him. But now, remarkably, the American Top Team fighter seems intent on penning his own lines. And this sequel looks set to be even more thrilling than the original.

Having already defeated Jake ‘The Juggernaut’ Ellenberger in the city of sin in May, all that now appears to stand between Lawler and an early winter rematch with Hendricks is a clash with ‘The Immortal’ one, Matt Brown. 

And while he’s 100% focused on the Brown fight, Lawler can’t help but think back to the first encounter with ‘Bigg Rigg’ earlier this year when, in an exclusive interview with FO, he says: “I don’t feel unlucky about the decision in the first fight. I think you get what you deserve in life and that’s just the way that the fight went. 

“I’m not going to cry over it, and it’s just my job to do a better job next time and to keep getting better, and that’s what I’ve been doing and will continue to do. It’s made me a bigger person. This is a road I needed to take. This is how the fight went down, so it’s time to just keep getting better.”

While leading contenders in other weight classes are relentless in their goading of the incumbent champion, Lawler has been almost silent while pursuing Hendricks. Despite his attractive gung-ho fighting style, outside the Octagon Lawler is the epitome of the saying: actions speak louder than words.

“I have called him out, here and there, but the thing is there’s a lot of people doing that,” Lawler says. “He knows I’m here, the UFC knows I’m here, and the fans know I’m there, so there’s not really much more to say. I’m just going to let my fighting speak for me, and go out there and compete at my best. That’s the one thing I can control right now, and that’s how I prefer to compete.”

Reflecting back on the latter rounds, when Hendricks finished strongly and claimed the belt in Texas, Lawler says: “He did a really good job of winning rounds and figuring out a way to win. He won three rounds, I won two rounds in the judges’ eyes. 

“In a lot of people’s eyes, I did a lot more damage. I did the most damage and it was two different styles. He fought the smarter fight and he won it. What I need to do next time is go out there and finish him, go out there and put my stamp on it. Leave no doubt. 

“My job in there is to knock him out, finish him somehow, and leave no doubt that I’m the winner at the end.”

But next time they meet we might not need the five rounds of their previous title battle. “I believe I can finish anybody,” adds Lawler, who is still only 32 despite his career bridging the gap between two generations of fans. “I believe in myself and I’m getting better every day.”

Aside from Lawler and Hendricks the 170lb weight class is intoxicating right now, with so much talent vying for the top spot – hence this month’s Fighters Only welterweight issue – and the former EliteXC middleweight champion admits he’s enjoying every minute.

“There are so many good fighters in the welterweight division it’s ridiculous,” says Lawler, who actually laughed with pleasure during his most recent performance against Ellenberger at UFC 173. “It’s an exciting division, the best in the world, so I don’t really worry about how everyone stacks up.” 

But he refuses to rank his place. “I believe in myself, and I’m just going to leave it at that. I believe in my fighting abilities and I’m not going to answer questions about anybody outside of the Brown fight. I don’t see the relevance in that.

“I’m just working on getting ready for Matt Brown. I’m concentrating on getting better, that’s what I’m thinking about: how I’m going to get better.

“I’ve not left fight camp since the last fight. I backed off for a week or two to take care of my body, doing some maintenance. But I picked it up again the next week and have again slowly been building so I get better, get stronger every day, get faster. Every day I work on my skills and make sure I recover.”

Brown was the heroic shining knight himself in May, when he came back from an early scare to eventually walk through the talented Erick Silva in his home state of Cincinnati, Ohio, the catalyst for what Dana White insists was one of the most atmospheric nights he’s ever experienced. And his three-round TKO of Silva has set up a great fans’ battle between two of the most popular welterweights in the world when Lawler and Brown collide on July 26th live on Fox. 

Lawler admits he too is a fan of the Columbus native. “Brown’s a difficult guy, he comes to fight. I don’t really like to compare any of my opponents because it’s so hard, everyone does different stuff, but I’ll just say that he comes hard and he brings a lot of different strikes.

“He wrestles really well, too. He’s worked on his wrestling a lot. And his endurance is really high. But his true strength right now, I believe, is in his mind. He truly believes in himself, which is huge.

“He’s such a tough guy, obviously. He’s on a ridiculous streak right now, with all his wins, and the way he’s fighting is awesome, so he brings a lot to the table. He just goes out there and tries to get the job done every time.”

Six stoppages in seven straight victories is testament to Brown’s will to win, and has left some industry insiders believing the only way to defeat ‘The Immortal’ right now would be to fight fire with fire, and take away his heart – just like he did to Silva last time out. Meet him head-on.

But, perhaps to the fans’ dismay, that’s not the game plan Lawler is considering. “No, that’s not the mindset I need in there. I’m not necessarily going in there to break his will or break his mind. I’m going out there to do what I do best, which is work on my skills, be sharp and being fast to react. And then anything else kind of takes care of itself. 

“After that I’m just going to worry about getting myself in shape, getting my mind right and working on all the skills that are going to make me the best in the world.”

So Lawler is going to use his skills to defeat Brown rather than his will. Does that mean he believes he’s got a better skillset than the TUF season 7 alumnus? 

“No. I don’t really look at it that way. I think he definitely has all the skills, all the techniques, it’s just about who’s going to be able to utilize them best. That’s all I’m concentrating on right now. 

“I’m not even worried about what he brings to the table as much as what I want to bring to the table. Pretty much 95% of my camp is in my head.”

Against Ellenberger, Lawler looked magnificent. He won every round before scoring a TKO stoppage deep in the third, and he admits it was the performance he expected. He explains: “My movement and my footwork were better that day. I felt really good that whole week. 

“Even during the weight cut, I felt really good. During the fight, I think my footwork was really good and my striking was really crisp and I’m just going to keep getting better.

“I didn’t take very much damage at all. I just went out, was ready to go, and they gave me an opportunity and I took it. I’m healthy. When you go into a fight and when you’re training for a fight, I try and take as little damage as possible, not get hit with any clean shots. I take care of my body, which is the most important part of MMA. And I was able to do that in this fight.

“For the last year and a half, a lot of my training has all been about doing a little bit of maintenance, making sure my body stays strong for the whole training camp.”

He adds: “I started working with a conditioning coach a couple of years ago. He basically focused on muscles that you don’t really work on, that you kind of leave behind when you’re training for a fight because you’re working on punches. Basically, I’m strengthening all my connector muscles so everything kind of comes together, making sure everything is tight and strong. 

“I also do a lot of stretching and get lots of massages, although I still have ice baths. I do a lot to take care of my body, and one critical thing I do a lot now is I listen to my body, and sometimes I need a break. Sometimes a day off or a really light day is better than a hard day, so I can keep getting better. 

“Some days you keep pushing it too hard and your body breaks down; and then the next day you work out and you’re no better. And that’s the key for me: I want to get better every day.”

Lawler, who has a four-year-old son, reveals he’s developed a more stoical mindset when it comes to life these days, and that he refuses to allow things outside of his control to interfere with his emotions. Both attributes, he believes, have made him a better man and, just as importantly in his line of work, fighter.

He explains: “I don’t let small things bother me, and it’s just an extension to the way I was brought up, and the way I’ve always tried to compete. I’m a no-nonsense kind of guy and it just makes life easier to concentrate on the things that you can control. And the things that just don’t really matter I don’t spend any time thinking about. I just take the thinking out of it as much as possible and just go with my heart.

“I block everything out and I concentrate on the task at hand. I’ve competed for a long time, pretty much my whole life, and I’m able to block things out and concentrate and not worry about anything.”

With 13 years of high-level mixed martial arts competition under his belt, Lawler – and his patchwork 23-10 (1 NC) record – can’t go on forever. But he’s determined to achieve all he can in the time he has left. Starting with Brown, and hopefully ending with victory over Hendricks before the year is out.

“I’m in a good position, so let’s keep moving forward,” he concludes. “If I’m in a position to compete, I’m moving forward. That’s how I look at this thing. I don’t look at my career and think, ‘Oh, this will or won’t last forever.’ I don’t do that. There is no forever. There is only today and competing and improving every day. The rest, as I say, will take care of itself.

“Why would I look back? Why would I look too far forward? My mindset is now. My mind is focused on winning against Matt Brown, and then getting my shot at the UFC belt.”

So the final chapter of ‘Ruthless’ Robbie’s story is still to be written. And only time can tell whether Lawler will, on this occasion, enjoy a happy ever after...