Is Robbie Lawler the new "gatekeeper" of the UFC Welterweight Division? (Opinion)
Robbie Lawler suffered a unanimous decision loss against top prospect and UFC veteran Neil Magny in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 8. The loss marked Lawler's fourth straight loss inside the octagon and has put him in a very precarious situation in the UFC Welterweight rankings. Robbie Lawler was ranked #13, while Neil Magny was ranked #14 in the UFC Welterweight rankings before the fight. With Magny picking up the victory, he climbed to #11, while Robbie Lawler dropped down to #15.
Even if we put the rankings aside, it's a difficult situation for any fighter to be in. Robbie Lawler is a former champion, and will probably go down as one of the most impactful mixed martial artists of all time. However, his recent performances have certainly left a sore spot in his MMA career. Lawler has not picked up a victory for the last three years. There's a reason to believe that Lawler hasn't been the same since his KO loss to Tyron Woodley back at UFC 201. Lawler has won once since dropping his UFC Welterweight Championship back in July of 2016.
What's next for Robbie Lawler?
If we look at Lawler's past performances, he has fared very poorly against some of them. Lawler was only able to land 86 significant strikes compared to an almost double 172 strikes from former Champion Rafael dos Anjos. However, another interesting thing to note is that Rafael dos Anjos has lost four of his last five fights inside the octagon.
Lawler's performance against Colby Covington was around the same mark as Covington registered a staggering 201 strikes compared to his 82 total strikes throughout the five rounds of the fight. Lawler's recent performance saw Neil Magny register 4 succesful takedowns and 116 total strikes compared to just 41 strikes from the former Champion. While there were some amazing moments from Lawler inside the octagon against Magny, he looked slow and lacked ground control. Magny was not just able to dominate Lawler on the ground but was also able to land significant damage to one of the most fierce strikes in the history of UFC.
Robbie Lawler could be looking at making a quick comeback after having fought only once a year in the last three years. While there are interesting options in the form of Anthony Pettis, Vicente Luque, and Nate Diaz going forward, it remains to be seen where his UFC career goes from here. Lawler has shown no interest in retiring and wants to continue to compete inside the octagon.
To say whether it's time for Robbie Lawler to retire can be only measured in terms of his recent performances inside the octagon. Lawler's cardio has gone down a lot, and he doesn't look as lethal as he once was. Lawler was breathing heavily between rounds in his fight against Magny, evident from the video released by UFC. However, it should be noted that Lawler has delivered some of the greatest fights in the history of MMA. He is 38 and has done enough to go down as one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the history of MMA. Fight fans are likely to welcome his decision to retire if he does, however, it doesn't take away the fact that fans have given up hopes on witnessing the "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler again inside the octagon.
Is Robbie Lawler the new gatekeeper at 170?
Despite the losing streak, Robbie Lawler continues to take on the best fighters that the division has to offer. Lawler faced Ben Askren in his debut fight under the UFC and later took on interim Champion Colby Covington. While Covington went on to put an incredible performance against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245, Neil Magny is also looking at fighting a top-ranked contender next in his bid to come closer to the Welterweight gold.
It is interesting to note that Robbie Lawler has only fought with the top prospects of the UFC Welterweight division. He is still strong and has shown no interest in retiring anytime soon. Robbie Lawler could well be the new gatekeeper of the UFC Welterweight division because getting past the former Champion is not an easy task for any fighter, and those who do, have gone on to have an impressive career in UFC.