A longtime MMA veteran whose active career spanned over 20 years, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler will be honored for all of his memories in the sport with a solo spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Lawler was announced at UFC 313 as the latest member of the organization’s Hall of Fame Class of 2025 as a member of the “Modern Wing.”
Robbie Lawler The Latest Entrant Of The UFC Hall of Fame Class Of 2025
Robbie Lawler’s time in the sport began when he was just 16 years old, taken under the wing of Pat Miletich. At 19, he made his professional MMA debut, finishing John Reed in April 2001. Lawler scored first-round knockouts in his first four professional fights in that year before scoring a UFC contract.
“Ruthless” made his UFC debut at UFC 37, defeating Aaron Riley via decision. He went 4-3 between 2002 and 2004 while with the UFC, which included a memorable bout with Nick Diaz at UFC 47 that Lawler lost via second-round KO.
Lawler would go on to develop his craft and gain experience competing in various promotions over the next decade, including EliteXC and Strikeforce. The American defeated Murilo Rua in September 2007 to become EliteXC middleweight champion. He’d retain the title in a pair of bouts against Scott Smith.
Lawler also challenged Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the Strikeforce middleweight title in January 2011 but would end up getting submitted.
“Ruthlss” returned to the UFC after it folded Strikeforce, winning three straight before fighting Johny Hendricks for the then-vacant UFC welterweight title at UFC 171. While Lawler lost the fight, he’d go on to defeat him in a rematch at UFC 181 to become champion.
Lawler then went on to retain the title in two of the most memorable battles in history, defeating Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 and Carlos Condit at UFC 195, before dropping the gold to Tyron Woodley at UFC 201. Lawler vs. MacDonald was inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.
That same weekend, Lawler had one of the most memorable sendoffs in his retirement fight at UFC 290, scoring a first-round knockout of Niko Price.
Lawler joins longtime UFC producer Craig Piligian and the UFC 236 clash between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum as part of the UFC Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.
