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For many MMA fans, Robbie Lawler is a legendary name. He’s appreciated by both the old school audience and the current fan base and will always be a respected figure of the sport.
But for some, he may not be top-four material in the list of all-time UFC greats.
Daniel Cormier omits Robbie Lawler from Mount Rushmore list
During a recent episode of the ESPN’s DC & RC Show, Daniel Cormier was asked for his top welterweight greats that would comprise his Mount Rushmore list. The former double-champ and UFC Hall of Famer gave his four names.
“Well, here’s the problem: There weren’t many welterweight champions,” Cormier said (quotes by MMA Junkie). “It’s been a division that has had so many long-reigning champions that there aren’t many welterweight champions.
“I got Georges St-Pierre as the head; he’s the George Washington. Then I have Matt Hughes, Kamaru Usman, and I have Tyron Woodley.
Cormier acknowledged similarity in the résumés of Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawler. But for him, “The Chosen One” was able to do better in terms of the title reign.
“And I get it. (Woodley) and Robbie would seem to have very similar resumes, but you’ve got to remember when Tyron was the champion, the way he beat Robbie to become the champion.
“The way he beat Darren Till, the way he defended that belt on so many occasions when he was legitimately one of the harder champions to work with, so he got no favors.”
Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley’s title reigns
Robbie Lawler won the belt via a split decision win against Johny Hendricks at UFC 181 in 2014. He defended the title twice with victories over Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit before losing it to Woodley in 2016.
As for Woodley, he had a slightly longer title reign with three successful title defenses. He lost the belt in 2019 against Kamaru Usman.
Robbie Lawler’s recent run and retirement fight
After losing the title to Woodley, Lawler (29-16, 1 NC) fought Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone in 2017 and won via decision. What followed was a three-year drought, losing four straight to Rafael dos Anjos, Ben Askren, Colby Covington, and Neil Magny.
He broke that losing streak in September 2021 streak with a win over fellow legendary veteran Nick Diaz in a rematch 17 years after their first fight. Lawler won via third-round TKO. But he’s once again on a skid after a second round TKO loss to Bryan Barberena last July.
The 41-year-old Lawler is set for his retirement fight at UFC 290. He will close out the prelims against veteran Niko Price. He will also be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame that same week for his UFC 189 banger with Rory MacDonald, a bout that many deemed as 2015’s Fight of the Year.
UFC 290 takes place on July 8th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Headlining the event is the featherweight unification title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez.
Co-headlining the card is another championship bout: a flyweight bout between recently crowned champion Brandon Moreno and number two-ranked Alexandre Pantoja.
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