Never say never, says Robbie Lawler on a somewhat unlikely return to combat sports.
The former UFC Welterweight Champion capped off his amazing career at UFC 290 with a walk-off knockout of Niko Price in the very first round. Showing shades of his younger self with a vintage performance like that, one has to wonder if this was truly Lawler’s last dance because many fighters eventually come out of retirement to scratch the itch of competition.
Despite being 41 years old, Lawler says he has more gas left in the tank. The question is, if he’ll use it all or if he’ll keep the gloves off for good.
“I definitely have more [fights] left in me,” Lawler said on The MMA Hour. “It’s just, it’s one of those things where it’s like you figure it out. I just can’t do as much as I used to.
“I can’t train the way I want to train. I’m like the guy who likes to do extra and now it’s like, ‘Hey, just relax, you know how to fight, let’s just get you to the fight’. So, that’s the hard part for me cause I like to work out, I like to lift, I like to do all these things. And I have this checklist, [but] that checklist is too much.”
Lawler has been fighting over two decades. ‘Ruthless’ made his pro debut in 2001 and his UFC debut came a year later in 2002. He went on to capture championships in Strikeforce and EliteXC before eventually winning the UFC welterweight title in 2014.
Having done just about it all in MMA, Lawler doesn’t see the need for another fight. However, as time passes, perhaps Lawler will have a great desire to fight one more fight time just like many retired fighters have done before him.
“I’m a fighter. I’m never gonna say that [I’m done]. It’s just like, but I’m in a good place and I mean, you never know, but I feel good. I’m not training, I mean, I’m lifting, I’m running, I’m keeping myself in shape, but yeah, I don’t see it happening,” Lawler said of a potential return.
“I’m not gonna say no cause you never know. I feel great and I know how to train at my old age to be ready for one day and be sharp for one day and it’s always fun.”
Whether a comeback happens or not, Robbie Lawler says he will “use my knowledge to help others” in the training room as a coach in the fight game.
