Robert Lawler was born on March 20,1982 and is an American professional mixed martial artist who has been competing since 2001.
66 Facts About Robbie Lawler
2.
Robbie Lawler is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce, PRIDE, and the IFL.
3.
Robbie Lawler is the only fighter to have won three consecutive "Fight of the Year" awards from Sherdog and MMA Fighting, for his bouts against Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, and Carlos Condit.
4.
Robbie Lawler moved to Bettendorf, Iowa, at the age of ten to live with his father, who served in the Marines.
5.
Robbie Lawler began training in taekwondo at the age of eight, picking up karate two years later.
6.
Robbie Lawler attended Bettendorf High School where he received All-State honors in wrestling and All-Conference in football.
7.
Robbie Lawler was taken under the wing of Pat Miletich when he was 16 years old and began training with Miletich Fighting Systems as soon as he graduated in 2000.
8.
Robbie Lawler made his UFC debut at UFC 37 against veteran Aaron Riley.
9.
Robbie Lawler fought again in the next month against Steve Berger at UFC 37.5 and won via TKO.
10.
Robbie Lawler then fought against Pete Spratt at UFC 42 and lost after he submitted due to a knee injury.
11.
Robbie Lawler came back to get a win over fellow boxing and wrestling specialist Chris Lytle via unanimous decision at UFC 45.
12.
Robbie Lawler was handed the first of only two knockout losses of his career to date in the second round.
13.
Robbie Lawler then lost again at UFC 50 against the late Evan Tanner, who would win the UFC Middleweight Championship in his next fight.
14.
Robbie Lawler then fought at SuperBrawl in Hawaii, defeating Falaniko Vitale via knockout to become the SuperBrawl Middleweight Champion.
15.
Robbie Lawler then made his debut for King of the Cage, being scheduled to fight Jeremy Brown, and won via armbar submission.
16.
Robbie Lawler then faced Falaniko Vitale again, this time for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship, and won again in the rematch by knockout, becoming the ICON Sport Middleweight Champion.
17.
Robbie Lawler then made his PRIDE debut in Las Vegas, Nevada against Joey Villasenor at PRIDE 32 and won via knockout.
18.
Robbie Lawler was scheduled to fight Kala Hose for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship on December 15,2007, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Robbie Lawler however pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
19.
Robbie Lawler defended his EliteXC Middleweight Championship against Scott Smith at EliteXC: Primetime 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 Robbie Lawler.
20.
Robbie Lawler's contract was picked up by Strikeforce with his first bout under the Strikeforce banner on June 6,2009, against Jake Shields.
21.
Robbie Lawler lost via submission due to a guillotine choke at 2:02 of the first round.
22.
Robbie Lawler faced K-1 veteran Melvin Manhoef on January 30,2010, at Strikeforce: Miami.
23.
In dramatic fashion, Robbie Lawler came back to win by knockout late in the first round with an overhand right.
24.
Robbie Lawler fought Olympic Games silver medalist Matt Lindland at Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu II on December 4,2010.
25.
Robbie Lawler defeated Lindland fifty seconds into the first round via KO.
26.
Robbie Lawler faced Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza on January 29,2011, at Strikeforce: Diaz vs Cyborg.
27.
Robbie Lawler rocked Souza in the first round but ended up losing the fight via submission in the third round.
28.
Robbie Lawler returned and faced Tim Kennedy at Strikeforce: Fedor vs Henderson.
29.
Robbie Lawler lost the fight via unanimous decision, being dominantly controlled throughout the fight on the floor by Kennedy.
30.
Robbie Lawler got back on track with a highlight reel first-round TKO victory due to a flying knee over rising prospect Adlan Amagov at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine.
31.
Robbie Lawler next faced Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Kennedy on July 14,2012.
32.
Robbie Lawler lost the fight via unanimous decision, despite rocking Larkin early in the first round with a short right hook.
33.
Robbie Lawler left Miletich Fighting Systems after this loss and joined Florida-based gym American Top Team.
34.
Robbie Lawler returned to the Welterweight division and faced Josh Koscheck on February 23,2013, at UFC 157.
35.
Koscheck visibly protested the stoppage, but replay footage showed he was not defending himself in a dangerous position, as Robbie Lawler landed repeated blows.
36.
Robbie Lawler was expected to face former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Tarec Saffiedine on July 27,2013, at UFC on Fox 8.
37.
Robbie Lawler won the fight via knockout in the second round.
38.
Robbie Lawler won the fight via TKO in the third round due to a combination of a knee and punches.
39.
Robbie Lawler faced Matt Brown in a 5-round Welterweight title eliminator bout on July 26,2014, at UFC on Fox 12.
40.
Robbie Lawler fought a rematch with Johny Hendricks for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 181 on December 6,2014.
41.
Robbie Lawler won the fight, and the title, via split decision.
42.
Robbie Lawler retained his title in the fifth round via TKO.
43.
Robbie Lawler was expected to face Carlos Condit on November 15,2015, at UFC 193.
44.
However, the bout was scrapped from the event after Robbie Lawler suffered a thumb injury.
45.
Robbie Lawler defended his title, and defeated Condit via split decision in a very close fight.
46.
Robbie Lawler faced Tyron Woodley on July 30,2016, in the main event at UFC 201.
47.
Robbie Lawler lost the fight via knockout early in the first round, thus losing the title.
48.
Robbie Lawler was briefly linked to a bout with Donald Cerrone on November 12,2016, at UFC 205.
49.
However, just a few days after the announcement, it was revealed that Robbie Lawler had declined the fight to allow more recovery time from his last defeat.
50.
Robbie Lawler was replaced by The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs Team Sonnen middleweight winner Kelvin Gastelum.
51.
Robbie Lawler was expected to face Cerrone on July 8,2017, at UFC 213.
52.
Robbie Lawler faced Rafael Dos Anjos on December 16,2017, in the main event at UFC on Fox: Robbie Lawler vs dos Anjos.
53.
Robbie Lawler lost the fight by unanimous decision, and he suffered from a torn ACL from the fight which would prevent him from fighting in 2018.
54.
Robbie Lawler faced UFC newcomer Ben Askren on March 2,2019, at UFC 235.
55.
Robbie Lawler faced Colby Covington on August 3,2019, at UFC on ESPN 5.
56.
Robbie Lawler was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on December 14,2019, at UFC 245.
57.
Robbie Lawler faced Neil Magny, replacing Geoff Neal, on August 29,2020, at UFC Fight Night 175.
58.
Robbie Lawler was expected to face Mike Perry on November 21,2020, at UFC 255.
59.
However, due to injuries, Robbie Lawler pulled out of the bout.
60.
Robbie Lawler faced returning veteran Nick Diaz in a rematch on September 25,2021, at UFC 266.
61.
Robbie Lawler faced Bryan Barberena on July 2,2022, at UFC 276.
62.
Robbie Lawler lost the back-and-forth bout by TKO in the second round.
63.
Robbie Lawler was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on December 10,2022, at UFC 282.
64.
However, the week of the event, Robbie Lawler was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury.
65.
Robbie Lawler was scheduled to face Niko Price on July 8,2023, at UFC 290.
66.
Robbie Lawler is married to Marcia Suzanne Lawler and has a son.