Nearly twelve years after his UFC debut as a highly touted prospect, a newly matured Robbie Lawler is finally about to get his chance at a UFC championship. You’d imagine he’d be pretty hyped up.
“Not really. In the octagon is when I get the most excited.”
Lawler is the underdog coming in against Johny Hendricks, the man who many people think won the title from George St Pierre last November. While Lawler sympathised at the time, on reflection Lawler doesn’t see any real issues with the decision: “At the time I thought Johny won the fight but I’d just fought,” Lawler told MMASucka.com earlier today. “Hendricks did a lot of damage in that fight, you could see by St Pierre’s face. But at the same time, St Pierre won a lot of the aspects and probably squeaked out three rounds with Johny doing the most damage and maybe winning two rounds.
I think it was a good decision, I’ve seen worse decisions. It was a close fight with two really high level guys fighting at a high level.”
With the reports that former champ GSP is backing Hendricks for the win, Lawler is characteristically unfased by his underdog tag. Lawler said, “We know where Johny’s strong…so what we worked on was making me a stronger fighter in all the positions he’s strong in so we put myself in a lot of different situations to work the skill aspect, the technique aspect and the endurance aspect. I’ll be ready to fight in all the positions we get in on Saturday and I’m excited to show what I’m capable of. I don’t worry too much about other people say, I believe in myself.”
After leaving the UFC the first time, the journeyman fighter competed at a higher weight class in the IFL, EliteXC and Strikeforce, but always planned to return to the UFC’s welterweight division.
“What I did outside the UFC was went up in weight, ate a lot of food and trained hard, and went out there and went out and fought a lot of guys,” Lawler said, “I always knew I was going to come back to the UFC and I always knew I was going to go down to 170 and compete at a high level.”
Inside his cool and calm exterior, the prospect of a title fight must be exciting him somewhat? “I’m as excited as I get,” he conceded.“I’m on the cusp of winning the world title, and doing something that a lot of people in this sport won’t be able to do and I’m excited because of the road I had, all the ups and downs, it just seems like everything is coming at the right time for me.”
Despite being a near thirteen year veteran of MMA Lawler has no thoughts about his career ending anytime soon, saying he will fight “as long as I’m physically able to do it, and as long as I have the drive and motivation to fight.”
If the fight goes his way on Saturday, what does Lawler have planned to celebrate? A rowdy night out in Dallas? Anything but: “I think it’s going to be more laid back,” he said.
“Cool.”
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Listen to the full interview with Robbie Lawler on this weeks episode of Sucka Radio HERE.
