UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Lawler - 5 most 'Ruthless' moments of Robbie Lawler
This weekend sees the return to UFC action of former Welterweight Champion ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler, and while he’s currently on a two-fight skid, the majority of UFC fans are clamoring to see him step into the Octagon again. Why? Because simply put, few fighters live up to their nickname quite so much as Robbie Lawler.
Lawler, who debuted in the UFC way back in 2002, has stepped inside the Octagon on 20 occasions, and practically every time, incredible levels of violence have ensued. The only fighter to have won three consecutive ‘Fight of the Year’ awards from both Sherdog.com and MMAFighting.com, it’s not easy to count the number of times we’ve seen him in crazy wars – nor the number of times we’ve seen him destroy an opponent.
Here are 5 of Robbie Lawler’s most ‘Ruthless’ moments.
#5 Destroying Tiki Ghosn at UFC 40
Fans of the modern-day – read post-TUF boom – UFC will recognize Lawler for his run to the Welterweight title following his return from StrikeForce in 2013, but longer-term fans will remember the wild kid who debuted in the Octagon as a wild, ultra-violent 20-year old back in 2002. Lawler won his first two UFC outings – a war with Aaron Riley and an odd fight with Steve Berger that ended in an early stoppage – but it was his fight at UFC 40 with Tiki Ghosn that really sticks in the memory.
Tiki – a training partner of then-Light-Heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz – was a hardened kickboxer with more fights and almost 4 years more experience in the game than Lawler, and was expected to really push the youngster, particularly on the feet. That wasn’t the case, though.
Tiki did land some sharp leg kicks on ‘Ruthless Robbie’, calling into question his defense there, but nobody could call into question his punching power. As Tiki closed in with a flurry, Lawler caught him with a clean right hook counter, dropping him, and before he could even begin to recover, a follow-up diving right hand knocked him out, forcing referee Nelson Hamilton to have to tackle Lawler off him.
Post-fight, Tiki claimed the fight had been stopped due to “a cut” – one of the more laughable moments in promotional history – but everyone else who watched knew the truth: that Robbie Lawler had some incredible knockout power and the violent finishing ability to put it to great use.