Robbie Lawler is the very definition of a company man so don’t rule this fight out.
It has been three weeks since Ruthless won his latest UFC title defence. Lawler came through another war, at UFC 195, against Carlos Condit and is now on a five-fight winning streak.
He has held the welterweight belt since December 2014 and told reporters he is more than happy to rest up for the next few months.
Lawler will be hoping for inclusion at July’s UFC 200 and may share the spotlight [a sliver of it] with Conor McGregor, who is expected to face Frankie Edgar in a featherweight title defence on the night.
Buoyed by his KO win over Jose Aldo, McGregor has set his sights on the lightweight belt and Lawler’s welterweight crown.
At Wednesday’s UFC 197 press conference, The Notorious declared, “I will fight in many weight divisions… I like the sound of that 170 lb title as well. I’ve got to be honest with you.”
McGregor had previously mentioned stepping up to the 170lbs division to challenge for gold. It was in that context that Lawler was asked, this week, about the prospect of a McGregor fight.
Lawler said, “I just let the UFC tell me and we talk, we communicate, they tell me who I’m fighting and I show up.” He added:
“I don’t really get excited. It’s just how I am.
“Nothing really gets me riled up too much. I just concentrate on myself.
“A lot of things could happen; everyone knows that. So I can’t concentrate on all these what-ifs because these what-ifs might never happen, and then I’ve wasted my time. So there you go.”
McGregor would need time to step up from 145 to 170 so any encounter with Lawler, fanciful as it might sound, would not take place until late 2016.
It’s going to take a lot to get under Lawler’s skin.
