On Saturday night, the man they call "Ruthless" will put his welterweight title on the line for a third time when he steps into the octagon against Tyron Woodley. Both men possess top-class striking abilities with solid takedown and ground games to boot.
Since joining the UFC, Robbie Lawler has already had five fights go the full five rounds for a championship fight, so he knows what it takes to grind out the match and come away with the belt. But in his first title defense last year against Rory MacDonald, Lawler and his opponent put on a performance for the ages.
Late in the second and early in the third round, Lawler looked done. He was wobbled and taking massive leg kicks to the head. Referee John McCarthy multiple times asked Lawler if he was still there and responsive. Lawler cursed at him to say he was fine and slowly worked his way back into MacDonald's guard to land huge shots on his head and nose. Finally in the fifth round, Lawler's accumulation of damage on MacDonald's nose was just too much for MacDonald to keep fighting.
The fight earned Fight of the Year awards from multiple MMA outlets for its sheer brutality.
If he is able to keep up that strong chin in this fight, we may be in for another slugfest. According to Mike Bohn, Lawler has landed and absorbed the most significant strikes in the UFC since returning in 2013.
Meanwhile, Woodley comes in riding a two-fight win streak. In his seven fights in the UFC, only two have gone to decision. In his fight against Josh Koscheck in 2013, Woodley displayed his quick hands and powerful striking ability. Just look at this knockout power.
One thing is for certain on Saturday, these two will come out swinging for the fences when the bell rings.
