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MMA has always been a sport where dynasties don’t last long. At the point a fighter is considered invincible, chances are good a fall is coming soon. However, there were exceptions: Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Jose Aldo. Today, not even the very best are safe. In division after division, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been thrown into chaos.
Cain Velasquez was supposed to dominate the heavyweight division for years and then ran into Fabricio Werdum in Mexico City. Werdum didn’t make it through his first defense. Jones’ dominance in the cage never ended, but continued mistakes outside that cage have derailed his career. Chris Weidman’s middleweight title run came to an abrupt end at the hands of Luke Rockhold, who then dropped off his title to Michael Bisping. Rafael dos Anjos proved Anthony Pettis could be stopped, only to suffer the same fate against Eddie Alvarez. Aldo’s long reign was halted by Conor McGregor, who then proceeded to fall to Nate Diaz at 170 pounds in his next fight. It felt to some like Rousey’s title run would last forever. The women’s bantamweight championship has been a hot potato ever since that was proven to be false.
When Jones’ suspension for a positive PED test is handed down, there will be only one dominant, longtime champion left: Demetrious Johnson. Joanna Jedrzejczyk is next in successful title defenses with three. Yet, in this inhospitable climate for champions comes opportunity. With so many short title runs, longer reigns become all the more impressive. A fighter doesn’t need to rule for years on end to be considered dominant. It is in this atmosphere that Robbie Lawler has the chance to finally realize the promise of so many years ago and become not just a champion but one of the biggest stars in the sport.
It’s easy to forget because it was such a different sport back then, but Lawler was one of the most buzzed-about prospects in MMA when he broke into the UFC in 2002. The combination of his skill, his youth, his camp and, most of all, his style made many think he was going to be one of the UFC’s top fighters and attractions someday. Fans love fighters like Lawler with knockout power, heart and the willingness to bang. The UFC elected to feature Lawler when it had the opportunity to air on Fox Sports Net -- a unique opportunity when the sport was still very much in the dark.
It took years for Lawler to realize his potential as a fighter. His detour out of the UFC and struggles in the middleweight division led many to give up on him. The Lawler that fought and lost to Jake Shields, Renato Sobral, Ronaldo Souza, Tim Kennedy and Lorenz Larkin in Strikeforce bore little resemblance to the monster he once was. That was before he embarked on a remarkable redemption story and captured the UFC welterweight title. Lawler has proved his ability as a competitor against Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger, Matt Brown and Johny Hendricks. Now the opportunity is there to take the next step and become one of the faces of the sport.
Lawler has come through already with plenty of excitement. He delivered the “Fight of the Year” in both 2014 and 2015, according to Sherdog, the UFC, Wrestling Observer, MMAFighting.com and Bleacher Report. He might already have the same honor locked up in 2016 for his fight with Carlos Condit. That would be an incredible accomplishment, particularly given the volume of fights taking place.
If there is a downside to all these exciting fights, it’s that Lawler hasn’t established dominance in his division. Three of his last eight wins have come via split decision. The welterweight division is so much deeper and more talented than the flyweight division, where the only longtime dominant champion resides. It’s difficult for him to keep winning, but with so few fighters in any division able to keep winning, every victory becomes all the more impressive.
For Lawler, the timing of his next fight is less than desirable, as is the opponent. UFC 201 on Saturday in Atlanta isn’t getting much attention, sandwiched between the landmark UFC 200 card and the McGregor-Diaz rematch at UFC 202. The decision to load up UFC 200 week meant that UFC 201 was left thin, with little to attract fans beyond the main event. Tyron Woodley, meanwhile, is a tough, hungry challenger but not a marquee name.
It’s not an ideal situation, but elite fighters become stars through the power of their own performances. Lawler is the champion now; it’s his responsibility to sell his shows. He’s the A-side for UFC 201, and if he wants to move into a spot as one of the top champions in the sport, he needs to turn in an A-side performance. The MMA landscape is wide open. The opportunity is there for Lawler to kick in the door.