When Robbie Lawler returned to the UFC following the demise of Strikeforce, not many people figured he’d have what it takes to be a contender again after a string of inconsistent performances inside the Strikeforce hexagon. But a brutal knockout win over top-ranked Josh Koscheck at UFC 157 changed that in an instant.
A huge +300 underdog against Koscheck, Lawler is now a -300 favorite against Bobby Voelker, who he meets this weekend on the main card of UFC on FOX 8. It should be a barnburner of a bout. Both Lawler and Voelker are exciting fighters who love to stand in the pocket and bang it out, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the fans are going to be the winners at the end of the match.
And I also think Lawler will emerge a winner.
Although Voelker is a durable fighter and was impressive in his UFC debut against Patrick Cote at UFC 158, ultimately Lawler is a much better fighter, and it really is his fight to lose as he looks to be back to the level he was at when he took the UFC by storm when he was in his early 20s. Back in the day, from 2002-2004, Lawler was one of the top prospects in the UFC, and many considered him a future title contender.
But after back-to-back losses to Nick Diaz and the since-deceased Evan Tanner, Lawler was cut, and it took him almost a decade to return to the Octagon.
While he was gone, Lawler travelled all over the world, fighting in promotions such as SuperBrawl in Hawaii, Elite XC, the IFL, Icon Sport, PRIDE, and Strikeforce. Even though he lost some bouts along the way, Lawler always kept his massive power, and he was responsible for highlight-reel KOs of Adlan Amagov, Matt Lindland, Frank Trigg, Joey Villasenor, and Melvin Manhoef while he was outside of the UFC. So, even though he was gone from the UFC all those years, the rest of the MMA world still got to see Lawler perform, and for the most part he was quite impressive, despite the fact he was fighting up a weight class at 185 pounds.
But when the UFC re-signed him, Lawler decided to move down to welterweight. And at 170 pounds he no longer has the size disadvantage he did at 185, which is directly responsible for him getting outgrappled by fighters like Jason Miller and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in his few losses during his nine years outside of the UFC.
He’s smarter and more mature now, and he realizes that if he wants to make one last run at a UFC title, he has to do it at 170 pounds. And after that win over Koscheck, I believe he’s well on the way.
It’s amazing to me that a guy like Lawler, a guy who has been in the sport for so long, is only 31 years old, but it’s true. He’s only 31, the prime for an MMA fighter, and Lawler realizes it, that’s why he knows he has to make a run for the title now.
Look for a spectacular performance by Lawler this weekend, and look for the UFC to match him up against one of the top welterweights in the division in his next outing. And if he wins that one, he won’t be that far away from that title shot he covets. Not far away at all.
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UFC on Fox 8 is due to take place on July 27, 2013 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.
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