"It's a full-circle moment" - Bryan Barberena talks about meeting opponent Robbie Lawler at International Fight Week during amateur career

Robbie Lawler (left) and Bryan Barberena (right) [Left image via Getty, right image via @bryan_barberena on Instagram]

Bryan Barberena has been a fan of Robbie Lawler since the beginning of his amateur career. It seems that life has come full circle for the fighter, who will have the honor of sharing the octagon with Lawler this weekend. 'Ruthless' and Barberena will go to war in a main card welterweight scrap at UFC 276 on July 2.

Bryan Barberena gets a big fight with former champ Robbie Lawler during International Fight Week 💥

#UFC276 | Full story: bit.ly/3w3FrI8 https://t.co/5QqRu53xE4

Heading into the fight, Barberena revealed that several years ago, ahead of his first amateur fight, he met Lawler during International Fight Week. Years later, as luck would have it, the 33-year-old is now going to fight 'Ruthless' on International Fight Week.

During an interaction with Sportskeeda MMA's James Lynch, Barberena spoke about the surreal experience of being able to fight the man he once watched and admired:

"It's a meant-to-be moment. It's full circle, you know. It's crazy how it all lined up... I met Robbie at International Fight Week a couple months before my very first amateur fight and when I met him he asked if I fought... I was like 'Oh, I'm about to have my first fight' and stuff like that, nice guy. I was a fan then too, so for us to get matched up is huge because I've always been a fan of how he fights and everything but also the fact that it's on International Fight Week and everything is pretty crazy and it just solidifies, it's like a full-circle moment."

Watch the interview below:

Bryan Barberena lays out gameplan to beat Robbie Lawler at UFC 276

Robbie Lawler may not be in his prime right now. However, for Barberena, he's still a very dangerous opponent for any fighter in the welterweight division. 'Bam Bam' feels that Lawler still possesses the ability to pick his opponents apart if not subdued quickly.

For Barberena, the plan is to put pressure on Lawler early on, land some big shots and cause a "whole lot of damage" so he can put away the veteran fighter:

"He's a dangerous guy, he's still very skilled and he's still very dangerous so what I take from it is just I need to put a whole lot of damage on him."

In his last fight, Robbie Lawler put up a dominant performance against fellow veteran Nick Diaz in their rematch at UFC 266. Lawler won the fight via TKO in the third round.

#UFC276 Odds History: Robbie Lawler & Bryan Barberena

Lawler
— UFC Rec. vs. Underdogs: 6-1
— Last fight, TKO'd Nick Diaz in match w/ 550+ combined strike attempts in < 11 min

Barberena
— UFC Rec. vs. Favorites: 3-4
— Fought > 2.5 rounds in 6 straight UFC events
#GamblingTwitter https://t.co/3e3E7iddBM

How do you think he will fare this time around? Sound off in the comments.