Robbie Lawler (19-9, 1 NC, 4-3 UFC) last fought in the UFC at UFC 50 in October 2004. That was his first fight at Middleweight after having fought at Welterweight for the first 10 fights of his pro career. Now according to the Orange County Register, Lawler will be returning to the UFC and the Welterweight division and veteran contender Josh Koscheck (17-6, 15-6 UFC) will be his first opponent.
The two will meet in a Welterweight bout at UFC 157 in Anaheim, California on February 23, 2013. That card will be headlined by the first-ever UFC women’s bout between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche.
Lawler has been fighting for Strikeforce since 2009 when he came over from the defunct Elite XC. Lawler went 3-5 in his 3 year Strikeforce run. He’s coming off a decision loss to Lorenz Larkin in July.
Koscheck is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller back in May. He challenged Georges St. Pierre for the UFC 170lb title in 2010, losing by unanimous decision.