Before his career becomes dissected once again, you have to applaud Lawler for his courage. He fought Johny Hendricks in an epic five round battle at UFC 171. Then he comes back two months later and outclasses Jake Ellenberger at UFC 173. Now he's back at it again in another five round fight. Unlike Donald Cerrone, Lawler didn't make it an objective to fight at an alarming pace. He simply wants his title shot back and will do whatever he can to guarantee that. What Lawler has done so far in 2013-2014 has been incredible to earn a top spot in a grueling division. I'll never forget in his return at UFC 157 against Josh Koscheck, where I expected Koscheck to overpower him and control him on the ground. Instead we saw Lawler's much improved takedown defense and he decimated Koscheck in an upset win. From there, he's beaten some of the top welterweights in the world in Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger. His boxing combinations and head kicks have been on various highlight-reels throughout the past year. His story has been astounding to follow, considering he was such an after thought in Strikeforce. Now he's headlining an event on Fox. It proves his value and how all he has left to prove is to be a UFC champion.
I cover the sport of MMA, along with being a fan of the sport since 2008. I've been covering the sport for two years now, along with interviewing several fighters. I also write on MMASucka.com. You can follow me on twitter @Allen_Strk or email at AStrk19@gmail.com
