Robbie Lawler On UFC Return: 'This Is What I Enjoy'

One of the most exciting and violent fighters to ever compete in MMA is back, as Robbie Lawler makes his long-awaited return from injury at UFC 235 this weekend.

Lawler hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since blowing out his knee in December 2017 in a loss against former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.

At 36 years old, Lawler has little left to prove in the sport. He’s been a champion, defended his title twice and been involved in some of the most memorable fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. “Ruthless” discussed his long lay-off and how he made the most of his recovery from an injury that could have easily forced him into retirement (via MMA Fighting):

“This is what I enjoy,” Lawler said of fighting in a cage for a living. “I didn’t know why [the injury] happened or how it happened. I just knew that it was gonna be a blessing. As soon as it happened, I was laid up in my room with my leg elevated, thinking ‘I’m gonna make the best out of this injury.’ That’s what I did. I got back to the grind, started working, didn’t rush anything. Got to spend more time with my family, which was huge. Got to work on other aspects other than just fighting.

“And I got to start from the ground up. Basically, I could barely walk. Then it was just like start building, start from scratch. How can I get better?”

It’s been roughly 14 months since his surgery and his return couldn’t come against a tougher opponent than, Askren who has the wrestling and grappling skills to spoil Lawler’s comeback. Lawler said the injury to his knee was the worst in his career and he took his time to properly recover including first learning how to walk on crutches.

“The rehab process was slow and tedious, but I just remembered to get back at it and working on straightening my leg, then working on bending it, then getting to the weight-bearing,” Lawler said.

“You’re getting a lot more work in than you realize, because the vibration kind of forces your muscles to work a lot harder,” Lawler said. “Just made it easy. I wasn’t very mobile, but I was doing a lot of iso stuff and just doing holds. And that really helped kind of get the ball rolling to get my strength back early on.”

Lawler said he’d have physical therapy sessions three times a week and would even go home and do the same workout again.

“I made sure I stayed busy,” he said. “When you’re not very mobile, you kind of keep plugging away and do what you can.”

Lawler said during his recovery he’s learnt a lot about his body and has put in the work to make it stronger and build other parts of his body up to help prevent this type of injury from reoccurring.

“My body is stronger than it’s ever been before,” he said. … “I would say I’m a better version of myself. I’ve had room to grow. I’ve just had time to reflect and I’m building. I’m trying to get better in all aspects, not just fighting. I’m trying to learn and trying to develop different parts of my life. That’s what I’ve been doing the past year and that’s what I’ll continue to do it. It’s just evolution and trying to get better in every way.”

Lawler says it was an easy decision to return to the Octagon as he’s a naturally competitive guy and enjoys being around other high level fighters to improve himself.

“Obviously, fighting is very fun,” Lawler said. “I love competing and I love pushing myself every day. Goals? I want to enjoy myself and have fun and beat some people up while I’m doing it. I actually really love training with fighters and helping them get to the next level, too. Me being in the room getting myself ready is kind of showing them maybe they should do a little bit of the stuff I’m doing. Then I look at them and I’m like, ‘Oh, I like what they’re doing.’ So, it’s just like a give and take. I love being in the gym and just the camaraderie and getting better with all my friends and training partners.”

UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith takes place on Saturday, March 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is headlined by a title doubleheader, with Jon Jones set to defend his light heavyweight title against Anthony Smith in the main event and Tyron Woodley defending his welterweight strap against Kamaru Usman in the co-main. The main card will be broadcast via pay-per-view, with preliminary fights on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.