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Robert Glenn Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed between 2001 and 2023. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce, PRIDE, and the IFL. Nicknamed " Ruthless", he is known for his aggressive fighting style, and was considered a fan favorite. Three of Lawler's title bouts, against Johny Hendricks (at UFC 171, in 2014), Rory MacDonald (at UFC 189, in 2015), and Carlos Condit (at UFC 195, in 2016) earned numerous awards for the Fight of the Year in their respective years.

Early life and education
Lawler was born in San Diego, California. He moved to Bettendorf, Iowa, at the age of ten to live with his father, who served in the Marines. Robbie Lawler is 1/4th Filipino as his mother is 1/2 German and 1/2 Filipino. Lawler began training in at the age of eight, picking up two years later. Lawler attended Bettendorf High School where he received All-State honors in and All-Conference in football. Lawler was taken under the wing of when he was 16 years old and began training with Miletich Fighting Systems as soon as he graduated in 2000.

Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Lawler made his professional debut in 2001 and won his first four career fights all by TKO/KO.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Lawler made his UFC debut at UFC 37 against veteran . Lawler won the bout via unanimous decision. Lawler fought again in the next month against at UFC 37.5 and won via TKO. In his next fight, Lawler faced another veteran, at UFC 40 and won in a highlight-reel knockout. Lawler then fought against at UFC 42 and lost after he submitted due to a knee injury. Lawler came back to get a win over fellow boxing and wrestling specialist via unanimous decision at UFC 45.

In his next UFC bout, Lawler faced former WEC Welterweight Champion and future longtime Strikeforce Welterweight Champion at UFC 47. Lawler was handed the first of only three losses of his career to date in the second round. Lawler then lost again at UFC 50 against the late , who would win the UFC Middleweight Championship in his next fight.

Post-UFC
Lawler then fought at SuperBrawl in Hawaii, defeating via knockout to become the SuperBrawl Middleweight Champion. Lawler then made his debut for King of the Cage, being scheduled to fight Jeremy Brown, and won via submission.

Lawler then faced again, this time for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship, and won again in the rematch by , becoming the ICON Sport Middleweight Champion.

In his next bout and first title defense, Lawler lost to Jason "Mayhem" Miller via arm-triangle choke submission.

Lawler then made his PRIDE debut in Las Vegas, Nevada against at PRIDE 32 and won via knockout.

In his next fight, Lawler made his IFL debut in Atlanta, Georgia against Eduardo Pamplona and won via TKO.

On March 31, 2007, he fought for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship and won by KO in the fourth round, becoming the ICON Sport Middleweight Champion a second time. On September 15, 2007, he fought PRIDE Fighting Championships veteran for the EliteXC Middleweight Championship and won by TKO in the third round due to punches.

Lawler was scheduled to fight Kala Hose for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship on December 15, 2007, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Lawler however pulled out of the fight due to an injury. After pulling out again due to the same circumstances, ICON Sport stripped Lawler of the middleweight title on February 9, 2008, for failing to defend the title.

Lawler defended his EliteXC Middleweight Championship against Scott Smith at on May 31, 2008, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, which ended in a no contest after Smith caught an accidental finger in the eye from Lawler.

On July 26, 2008, Lawler and Scott Smith had their rematch at . Lawler defeated Smith by TKO in the second round.

Strikeforce
After defeating Scott Smith, Lawler's employers, EliteXC, announced that they would be shutting down and filing for bankruptcy. Lawler's contract was picked up by Strikeforce with his first bout under the Strikeforce banner on June 6, 2009, against . The bout was fought at a of 182 lb. Lawler lost via submission due to a at 2:02 of the first round.

Lawler faced K-1 veteran on January 30, 2010, at . During the bout, Lawler suffered significant damage to his leg which Manhoef inflicted using leg kicks. In dramatic fashion, Lawler came back to win by knockout late in the first round with an overhand right.

Lawler was expected to face Jason Miller on June 16, 2010, at but Lawler instead faced former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion in a 195 lbs. bout. Lawler had two unsuccessful attempts to meet the 195 lbs mark at the Strikeforce: Los Angeles Weigh-Ins, but was finally booked for the fight weighing 195.5 pounds, after stepping on the scale for the third time. Sobral defeated Lawler via unanimous decision. Sobral utilized his reach advantage and expertise to defeat the much smaller Lawler.

Lawler fought silver medalist at on December 4, 2010. He defeated Lindland fifty seconds into the first round via KO.

Lawler faced Strikeforce Middleweight Champion on January 29, 2011, at . Lawler rocked Souza in the first round but ended up losing the fight via in the third round.

Lawler returned and faced Tim Kennedy at . He lost the fight via unanimous decision, being dominantly controlled throughout the fight on the floor by Kennedy.

Lawler got back on track with a highlight reel first-round TKO victory due to a over rising prospect at .

Lawler next faced at on July 14, 2012. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, despite rocking Larkin early in the first round with a short right hook. He left Miletich Fighting Systems after this loss and joined Florida-based gym American Top Team.

Return to UFC
Lawler returned to the Welterweight division and faced on February 23, 2013, at UFC 157. He won via first-round TKO. Koscheck visibly protested the stoppage, but replay footage showed he was not defending himself in a dangerous position, as Lawler landed repeated blows. The finish earned him the Knockout of the Night bonus.

Lawler was expected to face former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion on July 27, 2013, at UFC on Fox 8. However, Saffiedine was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by Siyar Bahadurzada. Then on July 11, it was announced that Bahadurzada also pulled out of the bout and was replaced by . Lawler won the fight via knockout in the second round.

Lawler next faced Rory MacDonald at UFC 167. He won the fight via split decision.

On December 13, 2013, news came that Georges St-Pierre would be taking an indefinite break from MMA and vacate the UFC Welterweight Championship. Following the announcement, announced that Lawler would face on March 15, 2014, at UFC 171 for the vacated title. Lawler lost the close back-and-forth bout via unanimous decision. Despite the loss, the fight earned Lawler his first Fight of the Night bonus award.

Returning quickly to the cage, Lawler replaced an injured and fought at UFC 173 on May 24, 2014. He won the fight via TKO in the third round due to a combination of a knee and punches.

Lawler faced Matt Brown in a 5-round Welterweight title eliminator bout on July 26, 2014, at UFC on Fox 12. He won the fight via unanimous decision. The win also earned him a Fight of the Night bonus award.

UFC Welterweight Champion
Lawler fought a rematch with Johny Hendricks for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 181 on December 6, 2014. He won the fight, and the title, via split decision.

A rematch with Rory MacDonald took place on July 11, 2015, at UFC 189. Lawler retained his title in the fifth round via TKO. The back and forth action earned both participants Fight of the Night honors. The fight was considered an instant classic by fans and media alike with UFC President Dana White hailing it as one of the best welterweight fights in the promotion's history. The fight was chosen as the Fight of the Year for 2015. The fight has since been acclaimed as one of the greatest in the history of mixed martial arts, voted the best fight in the history of the UFC in an poll in 2017 as well as it has earned a position in the UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing in 2023.

Lawler was expected to face on November 15, 2015, at UFC 193. However, the bout was scrapped from the event after Lawler suffered a thumb injury. The fight was rescheduled as the headliner at UFC 195 on January 2, 2016. Lawler defended his title, and defeated Condit via split decision in a very close fight. The bout also earned Lawler his fourth Fight of the Night bonus award.

Lawler faced on July 30, 2016, in the main event at UFC 201. He lost the fight via knockout early in the first round, thus losing the title.

Post-championship
Lawler was briefly linked to a bout with on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205. However, just a few days after the announcement, it was revealed that Lawler had declined the fight to allow more recovery time from his last defeat. He was replaced by middleweight winner .

Lawler was expected to face Cerrone on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213. However, reports began to circulate on June 28 that Cerrone had sustained a minor injury and that the pairing would be left intact, but is expected to take place three weeks later at UFC 214. UFC President confirmed later that same day that Cerrone in fact had a and a .

Lawler faced Cerrone on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. He won the fight via unanimous decision. In the post fight interview, Lawler dedicated his win to Matt Hughes, who was involved in a truck accident in June 2017 and was then recovering from serious injuries.

Lawler faced Rafael Dos Anjos on December 16, 2017, in the main event at . He lost the fight by unanimous decision, and he suffered from a torn ACL from the fight which would prevent him from fighting in 2018.

Lawler faced UFC newcomer on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235. Although Lawler looked to have the upper hand on Askren early on in the fight, he eventually lost the fight due to a bulldog choke. The ending of the fight was controversial because referee stopped the fight thinking that Lawler had passed out when this may not have been the case; Lawler's arm appeared to go limp indicating he had passed out, however, while Dean was checking to see if he was out he appeared to signal a thumbs up and jumped up fully conscious straight after the stoppage. Despite that, Nevada State Athletic Commission director Bob Bennett was in full support of Dean's decision to stop the fight.

A rematch with was expected to take place on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3. On May 16, 2019, it was reported that Woodley suffered a hand injury and was pulled from the fight. The bout was ultimately scrapped.

Lawler faced on August 3, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 5. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Lawler was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245. However, on October 12, 2019, it was revealed that Ponzinibbio had pulled out of the fight due to a .

Lawler faced , replacing , on August 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 175. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Lawler was expected to face Mike Perry on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255. However, due to injuries, Lawler pulled out of the bout.

Lawler faced returning veteran in a rematch on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266. The bout was contested at middleweight and was a special non-title, non-main event five round fight. In the third round, Lawler knocked down Diaz, who did not respond to the referee's instruction to return to his feet. As a result Lawler was awarded the win by TKO.

Lawler faced on July 2, 2022, at UFC 276. He lost the back-and-forth bout by TKO in the second round. This fight earned him a Fight of the Night award.

Lawler was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on December 10, 2022, at UFC 282. However, the week of the event, Lawler was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury.

On April 8, 2023, it was announced that Lawler and MacDonald would be inducted to the UFC Fight Wing Hall of Fame in July 2023 for their welterweight title bout from July 2015.

Lawler faced on July 8, 2023, at UFC 290. In his retirement bout, he knocked Price out 38 seconds into the bout.

Hall of Fame
During UFC 313's broadcast in March 2025, Lawler was announced as the next "modern wing" UFC Hall of Fame inductee during International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas this June.

Personal life
He is married to Marcia Suzanne Lawler (née Fritz). Lawler has an older brother.

Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
  • Ultimate Fighting Championship
    • UFC Hall of Fame (Modern wing, Class of 2025)
    • UFC Hall of Fame (Fight wing, Class of 2023)
    • UFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
      • Two successful title defenses
    • (Five times)
    • (One time)
    • UFC Encyclopedia Awards
      • Fight of the Night (One time)
        (2011). 9780756683610, DK.
      • Knockout of the Night (One time)
        (2011). 9780756683610, DK.
    • Tied () for fifth most knockouts in UFC Welterweight Division history (7)
    • Eighth most significant strikes landed in UFC Welterweight Division history (1,200)
    • Second highest takedown accuracy percentage in UFC Welterweight Division history (72.7%)
    • UFC.com Awards
      • 2013: Ranked #8 Fighter of the Year & Ranked #5 Upset of the Year
      • 2014: Fight of the Year , Fighter of the Year & Ranked #7 Fight of the Year
      • 2015: Fight of the Year
      • 2016: Half-Year Awards: Best Fight of the 1HY & Ranked #3 Fight of the Year
      • 2023: Ranked #7 Knockout of the Year vs.
  • Elite Xtreme Combat
    • EliteXC Middleweight Championship (One time; Last)
      • One successful title defense
      • One successful title retainment
  • ICON Sport
    • ICON Sport Middleweight Championship (Two times)
  • Superbrawl
    • Superbrawl Middleweight Championship (One time; Last)
    • 2010s Fight of the Decade
  • World MMA Awards
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
    • 2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald 2 at UFC 189
    • 2010 Knockout of the Year vs. on January 30
    • 2010 All-Violence Second Team
    • 2014 All-Violence First Team
    • 2015 All-Violence First Team
    • 2013 Comeback Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fight of the Year vs. at UFC 171
    • 2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald 2 at UFC 189
    • 2016 Fight of the Year vs. at UFC 195
  • Combat Press
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fight of the Year
    • 2015 Fight of the Year
    • 2015 Comeback of the Year
    • 2013 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award
    • 2014 Fight of the Year Bazzie Award
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fight of the Year vs. at UFC 171
    • 2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald 2 at UFC 189
    • 2016 Fight of the Year vs. at UFC 195
    • 2010s Fight of the Decade
    • 2013 Comeback Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 March Fight of the Month vs.
    • 2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald 2 at UFC 189
    • 2015 July Fight of the Month vs. Rory MacDonald 2
    • 2016 Fight of the Year
    • 2016 January Fight of the Month
    • 2010 Knockout of the Year
    • 2013 #10 Ranked Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fight of the Year vs. at UFC 171
    • 2014 #4 Ranked Fight of the Year
    • 2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald 2 at UFC 189
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
    • 2014 MMA Match of the Year vs. at UFC 171
    • 2015 MMA Match of the Year vs. Rory Macdonald 2 at UFC 189
    • 2016 MMA Match of the Year vs. at UFC 195
    • 2013 Comeback Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
    • 2014 Fight of the Year
    • 2015 Fight of the Year
    • 2014 Fighter of the Year
  • MMA Weekly
    • 2015 Fight of the Year
    • 2016 #4 Ranked UFC Fight of the Year

Mixed martial arts record
|- |Win |align=center|30–16 (1) | |KO (punches) |UFC 290 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:38 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|29–16 (1) | |TKO (punches) |UFC 276 | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:47 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|29–15 (1) | |TKO (retirement) |UFC 266 | |align=center|3 |align=center|0:44 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|28–15 (1) | |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|28–14 (1) | |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Newark, New Jersey, United States | |- |Loss |align=center| | |Technical Submission (bulldog choke) |UFC 235 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:20 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|28–12 (1) |Rafael dos Anjos |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |- |Win |align=center|28–11 (1) | |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 214 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Anaheim, California, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|27–11 (1) | |KO (punches) |UFC 201 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:12 |Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |- | Win |align=center|27–10 (1) | |Decision (split) |UFC 195 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|26–10 (1) |Rory MacDonald |TKO (punches) |UFC 189 | |align=center|5 |align=center|1:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center|25–10 (1) | |Decision (split) |UFC 181 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 24–10 (1) | Matt Brown | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center|5 | align=center|5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 23–10 (1) | | TKO (knee and punches) | UFC 173 | | align=center|3 | align=center|3:06 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 22–10 (1) | | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 171 | | align=center|5 | align=center|5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 22–9 (1) | Rory MacDonald | Decision (split) | UFC 167 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 21–9 (1) | | KO (head kick and punch) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 0:24 | Seattle, Washington, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 20–9 (1) | | TKO (punches) | UFC 157 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:57 | Anaheim, California, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 19–9 (1) | | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 19–8 (1) | | TKO (flying knee and punches) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:48 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 18–8 (1) | Tim Kennedy | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 18–7 (1) | | Submission (rear-naked choke) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 2:00 | San Jose, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 18–6 (1) | | KO (punch) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:50 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 17–6 (1) | | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 17–5 (1) | | KO (punch) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:33 | Sunrise, Florida, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 16–5 (1) | | Submission (guillotine choke) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:02 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 16–4 (1) | Scott Smith | TKO (kicks and punches) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 2:35 | Stockton, California, United States | |- | NC | align=center| 15–4 (1) | Scott Smith | NC (thumb in the eye) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 3:26 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 15–4 | | KO (punches) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 2:04 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 14–4 | | KO (punches) | ICON Sport: Epic | | align=center| 4 | align=center| 1:40 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 13–4 | Eduardo Pamplona | TKO (punches) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 1:36 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 12–4 | Joey Villaseñor | KO (flying knee and punches) | PRIDE 32 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:22 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 11–4 | Jason Miller | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | ICON Sport: Mayhem vs. Lawler | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 2:50 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 11–3 | | KO (punches) | ICON Sport: Lawler vs. Niko II | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:38 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 10–3 | Jeremy Brown | Submission (armbar) | | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:48 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 9–3 | | KO (punches) | SuperBrawl: Icon | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 4:36 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 8–3 | | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 50 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:22 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 8–2 | | KO (punch) | UFC 47 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 1:31 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 8–1 | | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 45 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 7–1 | | TKO (knee injury) | UFC 42 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 2:28 | Miami, Florida, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 7–0 | | KO (punches) | UFC 40 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:29 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 6–0 | | TKO (punches) | UFC 37.5 | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 0:27 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 5–0 | | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 37 | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Bossier City, Louisiana, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 4–0 | | TKO (punches) | Shogun 1 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:49 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 3–0 | Marco Macera | TKO (punches) | Extreme Challenge 41 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 1:19 | Davenport, Iowa, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 2–0 | Landon Showalter | KO (punches) | IFC: Warriors Challenge 13 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 0:14 | Fresno, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 1–0 | John Reed | TKO (punches) | Extreme Challenge 39 | | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:14 | Springfield, Illinois, United States |

Pay-per-view bouts
+ !No. !Event !Fight !Date !Venue !City !PPV Buys
1.UFC 171Hendricks vs. LawlerMarch 15, 2014American Airlines Center, United States300,000
2.UFC 181Hendricks vs. Lawler 2December 6, 2014Mandalay Bay Events Center, United States400,000
3.UFC 195Lawler vs. ConditJanuary 2, 2016MGM Grand Garden Arena, United States230,000
4.UFC 201Lawler vs. WoodleyJuly 30, 2016, United States240,000

See also
  • List of male mixed martial artists

External links
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