UFC 195 Robbie Lawler vs Carlos Condit: Ruthless aiming to use brains as well as brawn to defeat rival Condit
Many MMA fans will have been introduced to one Robert Glenn Lawler during his ferocious co-main event display at the high profile UFC 189 card in July. Lawler’s war of attrition with Rory MacDonald was one of the greatest fights of all time and a shoe in for the title of 'Fight of 2015'. Brian Mallon caught up with 'Ruthless' as he put the final preparations to his second welterweight title defence against well rounded rival Carlos Condit.
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Your support makes all the difference.While UFC 189 may have been Robbie Lawler’s career defining display, some observers of a certain vintage will first recall him as the raw, self-effacing youth who burst onto screens in 2002 with a stellar three fight win streak in his debut year.
At that time the San Diego native was being hailed as the future of this embryonic fistic spectacle called Mixed Martial Arts. It was a label he would grow into. In many ways Lawler’s career can be viewed as a microcosm of the development of the sport of MMA itself. Following initial high expectations the then Miletich Fighting Systems stand-out took the time to refine the rough edges that were evident in his earlier fights. Fast forward to the present day and he has become a well-respected veteran and eventual welterweight champion who epitomises all of what it takes to ascend to the zenith of the world’s toughest sport.
When I caught up (above) with the 33-year-old family man in Las Vegas a few weeks ago Lawler was in relaxed, philosophical form. I asked how preparations were progressing for this Saturday night’s eagerly awaited tussle with one of Greg Jackson's most astute pupils:
"I feel great man," he says. "I know it's going to be a tough fight. Carlos Condit has been around for a long time. He's a high level fighter and comes from one of the best camps in the world. He's well rounded and he's tough, he can do it all. He can strike, he can grapple, his take down defence is awesome and it's just one of these things where I have to be well prepared. I feel no pressure. The only pressure is to show up every day and train hard and I love that part. My coaches are doing a great job with me, my training partners are pushing me and I'm being smart about it. I'm just going to go out there and perform."
Indeed Lawler recognised how he has changed his training habits as the years have passed in a colourful, well travelled career:
"I’ve learned to train smarter and to just listen to my body I don't go crazy with sparring in the gym, I rest my body, drill a lot and just make sure that I'm ready come fight time. When I was first in the UFC obviously I was young then, so I could just train all day and not get tired. Now though I just listen to my coaches and just show up when they tell me to show up and don't add to what they're telling me to do."
When asked if he'd ever considered hanging 'em up in the lean times he explained:
"Well I always coached, so I'd just wrestle with young up and coming guys and they were hard work outs. It was one of these things where I just thought, I'm going to keep pushing myself, my body feels great, my mind feels great so if I'm willing to get up every day, train with these young bucks and push myself then, I can still do it."
Lawler agreed that his time away from the UFC may have helped with his longevity in the sport and ability to deal with the scrutiny that is par for the course of being a UFC Champion:
"I don't think that at the time I was ready for the spotlight, nor did I want it. I'm more of a laid back kinda guy. I never really did this for the fame. It was more that I like to fight, I like to compete, I like to beat people up and I love to train. That's what I always focus on and I don't think the media so much cared back then either so now it's like there's a reason to just get yourself out there and let everyone know what your about. I think that I've grown and the sport has grown also, we've grown togethe".
As the interview drew to an end I suggested that perhaps he even had come full circle and was actually enjoying speaking to the media: "You know that if you're going to be a champ, which is something I'd always thought I'd be, that the media spotlight is just a part of it, so now I'm ready, I'm mature and I can just handle it as... a grown-up (laughs)."
Whilst Saturday card is the first of the year, the main event may well be on 2016's shortlist of bar burners. Neither man is known for taking backward steps.
Lawler has the edge in power but Condit is extremely crafty and second to none in terms of cage generalship. This one may play out eerily close to Lawler's last outing against the game but ultimately outmuscled Rory MacDonald.
Lawler by stoppage sometime after the third round.
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