Robert Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who has been competing since 2001. He is the former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce,

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

, and the IFL. Known for his aggressive fighting style, Lawler is the only fighter to have won three consecutive "Fight of the Year" awards from

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

and MMA Fighting, for his bouts against Johny Hendricks (at UFC 171, in 2014), Rory MacDonald (at UFC 189, in 2015), and Carlos Condit (at UFC 195, in 2016).

Early life and education

Lawler was born in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. He moved to

Bettendorf, Iowa Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. It is the 15th largest city of Iowa and the third-largest city in the " Quad Cities". It is part of the Davenport– Moline– Rock Island, IA- IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The popu ...

at the age of ten to live with his father, who served in the

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (ref ...

. Lawler began training in

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. ...

at the age of eight, picking up

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

two years later. Lawler attended Bettendorf High School where he received All-State honors in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and football. Lawler was taken under the wing of Pat Miletich when he was 16 years old and began training with Miletich Fighting Systems as soon as he graduated in 2000.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Lawler made his professional debut in 2001 and won his first four career fights all by

TKO TKO may refer to: Sports * Technical knockout, a professional fighting term * Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move Music Artists * TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington * TKO, a pop group led by Katie White Albums * ''TKO ...

/ KO, his second fight being in the IFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Lawler made his UFC debut at UFC 37 against veteran

Aaron Riley Aaron Matthew Riley (born December 9, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 1997 to 2013, he has also formerly ...

. Lawler won the bout via unanimous decision. Lawler fought again in the next month against

Steve Berger Stephen Richard Berger (born May 20, 1973) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. Berger is probably best known for fighting in the UFC, most notably participating in the first mixed ...

at UFC 37.5 and won via TKO. In his next fight, Lawler faced another veteran, Tiki Ghosn at UFC 40 and won in a highlight-reel knockout. Lawler then fought against Pete Spratt at UFC 42 and lost after he submitted due to a hip injury. Lawler came back to get a win over fellow boxing and wrestling specialist Chris Lytle via unanimous decision at UFC 45. In his next UFC bout, Lawler faced former WEC Welterweight Champion and future longtime Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz at UFC 47. Lawler was handed the first of only two

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

losses of his career to date in the second round. Lawler then lost again at UFC 50 against the late Evan Tanner, who would win the UFC Middleweight Championship in his next fight.

Post-UFC

Lawler then fought at SuperBrawl in Hawaii, defeating Falaniko Vitale via knockout to become the SuperBrawl Middleweight Champion. Lawler then made his debut for King of the Cage, being scheduled to fight Jeremy Brown, and won via

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, p ...

submission. Lawler then faced Falaniko Vitale again, this time for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship, and won again in the rematch by

, becoming the ICON Sport Middleweight Champion. In his next bout and first title defense, Lawler lost to

Jason "Mayhem" Miller Jason Nicholas Miller (born December 24, 1980) best known as Mayhem Miller is an American mixed martial arts fighter and TV host. Miller coaches fighters in Irvine, California at Mayhem Martial Arts and has trained extensively with Kings MMA i ...

via arm-triangle choke submission. Lawler then made his

debut in Las Vegas, Nevada against Joey Villasenor at

PRIDE 32 ''Pride 32: The Real Deal'' was a mixed martial arts event and was held by the Pride Fighting Championships. The event took place on October 21, 2006, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background This was the first Pride even ...

and won via knockout. In his next fight, Lawler made his IFL debut in Atlanta, Georgia against Eduardo Pamplona and won via TKO. On March 31, 2007, he fought

Frank Trigg Dewey Franklin Trigg III (born May 7, 1972) is an American retired mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler, MMA referee and TV host. Trigg is a veteran of the UFC, Pride Fighting Championships, Rumble on the Rock, Icon Sport-(Icon ...

for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship and won by KO in the fourth round, becoming the ICON Sport Middleweight Champion a second time. On September 15, 2007, he fought

PRIDE Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts eve ...

veteran Murilo Rua for the

EliteXC Middleweight Championship Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decembe ...

and won by TKO in the third round due to punches. Lawler was scheduled to fight Kala Hose for the ICON Sport Middleweight Championship on December 15, 2007, in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the islan ...

, Lawler however pulled out of the fight due to an injury. After pulling out again due to the same circumstances, ICON Sport stripped Lawler of the middleweight title on February 9, 2008, for failing to defend the title. Lawler defended his

against Scott Smith at EliteXC: Primetime on May 31, 2008, at the

Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Ha ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, which ended in a no contest after Smith caught an accidental finger in the eye from Lawler. On July 26, 2008, Lawler and Scott Smith had their rematch at EliteXC: Unfinished Business. Lawler defeated Smith by TKO in the second round.

Strikeforce

After defeating Scott Smith, Lawler's employers, EliteXC, announced that they would be shutting down and filing for bankruptcy. Lawler's contract was picked up by Strikeforce with his first bout under the Strikeforce banner on June 6, 2009, against

Jake Shields Jake Sequoyah Shields (born January 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and submission grappler. He was the last Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Champion, the only Elite XC Welterweight Champion, a former Shooto Welterweig ...

. The bout was fought at a catchweight of 182 lb. Lawler lost via submission due to a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while st ...

at 2:02 of the first round. Lawler faced

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

veteran

Melvin Manhoef Melvin Manhoef (born 11 May 1976) is a retired Surinamese-born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer. In kickboxing, he is a former It's Showtime Middleweight Champion, and in MMA he was the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion. In mixed mar ...

on January 30, 2010 at Strikeforce: Miami. During the bout, Lawler suffered significant damage to his leg which Manhoef inflicted using leg kicks. In dramatic fashion, Lawler came back to win by knockout late in the first round with an overhand right. Lawler was expected to face Jason Miller on June 16, 2010, at Strikeforce: Los Angeles but Lawler instead faced former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion

Renato Sobral Renato da Cunha Sobral (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the Ul ...

in a 195 lbs. Catchweight bout. Lawler had two unsuccessful attempts to meet the 195 lbs mark at the Strikeforce: Los Angeles Weigh-Ins, but was finally booked for the fight weighing 195.5 pounds, after stepping on the scale for the third time. Sobral defeated Lawler via unanimous decision. Sobral utilized his reach advantage and

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling is ...

expertise to defeat the much smaller Lawler. Lawler fought

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

silver medalist Matt Lindland at Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II on December 4, 2010. He defeated Lindland fifty seconds into the first round via KO. Lawler faced Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza on January 29, 2011 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg. Lawler rocked Souza in the first round but ended up losing the fight via

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

in the third round. Lawler returned and faced Tim Kennedy at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, being dominantly controlled throughout the fight on the floor by Kennedy. Lawler got back on track with a highlight reel first-round TKO victory due to a flying knee over rising prospect Adlan Amagov at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. Lawler next faced Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy on July 14, 2012. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, despite rocking Larkin early in the first round with a short right hook. He left Miletich Fighting Systems after this loss and joined Florida-based gym American Top Team.

Return to UFC

Lawler returned to the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division and faced Josh Koscheck on February 23, 2013 at UFC 157. He won via first-round TKO. Koscheck visibly protested the stoppage, but replay footage showed he was not defending himself in a dangerous position, as Lawler landed repeated blows. The finish earned him the ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus. Lawler was expected to face former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Tarec Saffiedine on July 27, 2013 at

UFC on Fox 8 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 8'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 27, 2013, at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The event was broadcast live on FX and Fox. Background The main event was a UFC ...

. However, Saffiedine was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by

Siyar Bahadurzada Siyar Bahadurzada ( fa, سیار بهادرزاده; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently works as an instructor for ...

. Then on July 11, it was announced that Bahadurzada also pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Bobby Voelker. Lawler won the fight via knockout in the second round. Lawler next faced Rory MacDonald at UFC 167. He won the fight via split decision. On December 13, 2013 news came that

Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor and former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-division champion in the Ult ...

would be taking an indefinite break from MMA and vacate the

UFC Welterweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

. Following the announcement,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

announced that Lawler would face Johny Hendricks on March 15, 2014 at UFC 171 for the vacated title. Lawler lost the close back-and-forth bout via unanimous decision. Despite the loss, the fight earned Lawler his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Returning quickly to the cage, Lawler replaced an injured Tarec Saffiedine and fought Jake Ellenberger at UFC 173 on May 24, 2014. He won the fight via TKO in the third round due to a combination of a knee and punches. Lawler faced Matt Brown in a 5-round Welterweight title eliminator bout on July 26, 2014 at UFC on Fox 12. He won the fight via unanimous decision. The win also earned him a ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award.

UFC Welterweight Champion

Lawler fought a rematch with Johny Hendricks for the

at UFC 181 on December 6, 2014. He won the fight, and the title, via split decision. A rematch with Rory MacDonald took place on July 11, 2015 at UFC 189. Lawler retained his title in the fifth round via TKO. The back and forth action earned both participants ''Fight of the Night'' honors. The fight was considered an instant classic by fans and media alike with UFC President Dana White hailing it as one of the best welterweight fights in the promotion's history. The fight was chosen as the

Fight of the Year for 2015. The fight has since been acclaimed as one of the greatest in the history of mixed martial arts, voted the best fight in the history of the UFC in an

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

poll in 2017. Lawler was expected to face Carlos Condit on November 15, 2015 at UFC 193. However, the bout was scrapped from the event after Lawler suffered a thumb injury. The fight was rescheduled as the headliner at UFC 195 on January 2, 2016. Lawler defended his title, and defeated Condit via split decision in a very close fight. The bout also earned Lawler his fourth ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Lawler faced Tyron Woodley on July 30, 2016 in the main event at UFC 201. He lost the fight via knockout early in the first round, thus losing the title.

Post-championship

Lawler was briefly linked to a bout with

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ult ...

on November 12, 2016 at UFC 205. However, just a few days after the announcement, it was revealed that Lawler had declined the fight to allow more recovery time from his last defeat. He was replaced by The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen middleweight winner Kelvin Gastelum. Lawler was expected to face Cerrone on July 8, 2017 at UFC 213. However, reports began to circulate on June 28 that Cerrone had sustained a minor injury and that the pairing would be left intact, but is expected to take place three weeks later at UFC 214. UFC President

confirmed later that same day that Cerrone in fact had a staph infection and a pulled groin. Lawler faced Cerrone on July 29, 2017 at UFC 214. He won the fight via unanimous decision. In the post fight interview, Lawler dedicated his win to Matt Hughes, who was involved in a truck accident in June 2017 and was then recovering from serious injuries. Lawler faced Rafael Dos Anjos on December 16, 2017 in the main event at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, and he suffered from a torn ACL from the fight which would prevent him from fighting in 2018. Lawler faced UFC newcomer

Ben Askren Benjamin Michael Askren (born July 18, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. Askren was the former Bellator and ONE Welterweight Champion, remaining undefeated for over a decade before competing in ...

on March 2, 2019, at UFC 235. Although Lawler looked to have the upper hand on Askren early on in the fight, he eventually lost the fight due to a bulldog choke. The ending of the fight was controversial because referee Herb Dean stopped the fight thinking that Lawler had passed out when this may not have been the case; Lawler's arm appeared to go limp indicating he had passed out, however, while Dean was checking to see if he was out he appeared to signal a thumbs up and jumped up fully conscious straight after the stoppage. Despite that, Nevada State Athletic Commission director Bob Bennett was in full support of Dean's decision to stop the fight. A rematch with Tyron Woodley was expected to take place on June 29, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 3. On May 16, 2019 it was reported that Woodley suffered a hand injury and was pulled from the fight. The bout was ultimately scrapped. Lawler faced Colby Covington on August 3, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 5. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Lawler was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on December 14, 2019 at UFC 245. However, on October 12, 2019, it was revealed that Ponzinibbio had pulled out of the fight due to a staph infection. Lawler faced Neil Magny, replacing Geoff Neal, on August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 175. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Lawler was expected to face Mike Perry on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255. However, due to injuries, Lawler pulled out of the bout. Lawler faced returning veteran Nick Diaz in a rematch on September 25, 2021 at UFC 266. The bout was contested at middleweight and was a special non-title, non-main event five round fight. In the third round, Lawler knocked down Diaz, who did not respond to the referee's instruction to return to his feet. As a result Lawler was awarded the win by TKO. Lawler faced

Bryan Barberena Bryan Paul Barberena (born May 3, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also competed for King of the Cage. B ...

on July 2, 2022, at

UFC 276 ''UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 2, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States ...

. He lost the back-and-forth bout by TKO in the second round. This fight earned him a '' Fight of the Night'' award. Lawler was scheduled to face Santiago Ponzinibbio on December 10, 2022, at UFC 282. However, the week of the event, Lawler was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury.

Personal life

Lawler also has an elder brother. He is married to Marcia Suzanne Lawler (née Fritz) and has a son.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(One time) ***Two successful title defenses ** Fight of the Night (Five times) ** Knockout of the Night (One time) **Fighter of the Year (2014, 2015) **Fight of the Year (2014) vs. Johny Hendricks at UFC 171 **Fight of the Year (2015) vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 * Elite Xtreme Combat **

(One time; Last) *ICON Sport **ICON Sport Middleweight Championship (Two times) *Superbrawl **Superbrawl Middleweight Championship (One time; Last) * World MMA Awards **2014 Fighter of the Year **2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald *

**2010 Knockout of the Year vs.

on January 30 **2010 All-Violence Second Team **2014 All-Violence First Team **2015 All-Violence First Team **2013 Comeback Fighter of the Year **2014 Fighter of the Year **2014 Fight of the Year vs. Johny Hendricks at UFC 171 **2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 **2016 Fight of the Year vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 195 * Inside MMA **2013 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award * MMA Fighting **2014 Fighter of the Year **2014 Fight of the Year vs. Johny Hendricks at UFC 171 **2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 **2016 Fight of the Year vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 195 * MMAJunkie.com **2014 March Fight of the Month vs. Johny Hendricks **2015 July Fight of the Month vs. Rory MacDonald **2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 *

Bleacher Report Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Au ...

**2014 Fighter of the Year **2014 Fight of the Year vs. Johny Hendricks at UFC 171 **2015 Fight of the Year vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 * Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards **2014 MMA Match of the Year vs. Johny Hendricks at UFC 171 **2015 MMA Match of the Year vs. Rory Macdonald at UFC 189 **2016 MMA Match of the Year vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 195

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 29–16 (1) ,

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–10 (1) , Matt Brown , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. Brown , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

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Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 97,335. Sunrise was incorporated in 1961 and founded ...

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, Submission (guillotine choke) , Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 , St. Louis, Missouri, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 (1) , Scott Smith , TKO (soccer kicks and punches) , EliteXC: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:35 , Stockton, California, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 15–4 (1) , Scott Smith , NC (accidental eye poke) , EliteXC: Primetime , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:26 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Murilo Rua , KO (punches) , EliteXC: Uprising , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:04 ,

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, KO (punches) , ICON Sport: Epic , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Eduardo Pamplona , TKO (punches) , IFL: Atlanta , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Joey Villaseñor , KO (flying knee) ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 , Jason Miller , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , ICON Sport: Mayhem vs. Lawler , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:50 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Falaniko Vitale , KO (punches) , ICON Sport: Lawler vs. Niko II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Jeremy Brown , Submission (armbar) , KOTC: Xtreme Edge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:48 ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Falaniko Vitale , KO (punches) , SuperBrawl: Icon , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:36 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Evan Tanner , Submission (triangle choke) , UFC 50 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Nick Diaz , KO (punch) , UFC 47 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Chris Lytle , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 45 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Pete Spratt , TKO (knee injury) , UFC 42 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:28 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Tiki Ghosn , KO (punches) , UFC 40 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC 37.5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:27 ,

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 37 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Saburo Kawakatsu , TKO (punches) , Shogun 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:49 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Marco Macera , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 , Davenport, Iowa, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Landon Showalter , KO (punches) , IFC: Warriors Challenge 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:14 ,

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , John Reed , TKO (punches) , Extreme Challenge 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawler, Robbie 1982 births Living people American male karateka American male taekwondo practitioners Sportspeople from San Diego American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Mixed martial artists from Iowa Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling People from Bettendorf, Iowa People from Scott County, Iowa Ultimate Fighting Championship champions People from Coconut Creek, Florida People from Parkland, Florida Welterweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Bettendorf High School alumni