It may not have been the breathtaking performance you were expecting, but Robbie Lawler got the job done against Matt Brown to earn a second crack at the welterweight title.
"Ruthless" won a five-round decision against the "Immortal" one this past weekend (Sat., July 26, 2014) at UFC on FOX 12: "Lawler vs. Brown," beating his foe to the punch after a few setbacks in the first two rounds (highlights here).
Brown had cracked Lawler in the early going which wobbled the former Miletich Fighting Systems standout, and Lawler didn't exactly have a great second round against the Ohioan, either.
After establishing good counterstrikes and using his grappling pedigree when he needed to, Lawler didn't really coast to victory, but Brown had to do something pretty huge in the final sequences to steal the win.
Ultimately, the fight wasn't as close as it looked.
Now that Lawler earned his right to challenge Johny Hendricks for the second time, it begs to ask if he will have as much success as he did in their first encounter at UFC 171. In their first fight, both welterweights engaged in warfare, delivering a title tilt for the ages that saw the current champion edge "Ruthless" in a hotly-contested battle.
You could argue Hendricks won the fight by landing a takedown in the fifth round, in which he proceeded to weather the storm by laying on the American Top Team (ATT) product to win the championship.
Their fight could look exactly like it did several months ago, but chances are the bout will materialize as vastly different. After seeing how Lawler had a little bit of trouble adjusting to Brown's flurries at times, and didn't put away "Immortal" like he was expected to, it raised concerns about how he will look against Hendricks.
"Bigg Rigg" gets better every time he steps into the cage, and we can't count out Lawler's accolades after being a veteran of the sport for over 10 years. After all, the slugger is 5-1 in his second UFC stint, only losing to Hendricks last March in Dallas.
Lawler will have to come into this bout by being in the best shape of his life, and it remains to be seen if "Ruthless" can overcome the odds again and make history by acquiring his first UFC title.
If he does beat Hendricks, where does he rank among the best welterweights in UFC history?
Some may not be willing to put him in the same sentence as Georges St. Pierre or Matt Hughes (also due to the fact that he was a middleweight for so long), but when it comes down to historical purposes, he'd be on more "greatest of all-time" lists rather than not.
It all depends on how you look at it, and more importantly, if "Ruthless" can win the gold.
For complete UFC on FOX 12: "Lawler vs. Brown" coverage, including video highlights, post-fight recaps, and more, click here.