Bettendorf Native ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler Emotionally Announces Retirement

The renowned mixed martial artist Robert Glenn Lawler, commonly known as "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler, marked the end of his fighting career in a grand fashion at UFC 290 by surprising everyone with a knockout win over Niko Price in the first round.

Born on March 20, 1982, Lawler was a distinguished professional fighter and was the recipient of three back-to-back "Fight of the Year" accolades from MMA Fighting and Sherdog.

Bettendorf Native

San Diego was Lawler's place of birth, but at the age of ten, he relocated to Bettendorf, Iowa, where he stayed with his father, a retired marine. His martial arts journey began with taekwondo training when he was eight years old, which was followed by the study of karate two years later. While studying at Bettendorf High School, he attained All-State honors in wrestling and was conferred All-Conference honors in football. Lawler was taken in by Pat Miletich when he was 16, and upon graduation in 2000, he began training at Miletich Fighting Systems.

The Last KnockOut

Robbie Lawler, also known as "Ruthless", had an epic retirement fight at UFC 290 where he surprised everyone by knocking out the much younger Niko Price in just 39 seconds of the first round. Price seemed off balance from the start, giving Lawler an opportunity to capitalize on his opponent's weakness and win the fight without getting a scratch on him.

Video Of The Fight

Emotional after the fight, Lawler expressed his gratitude for all the people who had helped him throughout his long career and expressed his blessings for being able to achieve what he has. He retires with a 15-10 UFC record and 30-16 overall in mixed martial arts.

Not Disappearing Completely

Although Lawler had been struggling since his loss to Tyron Woodley in 2016, it's impressive that he was able to remain competitive for as long as he did at the age of 41. However, Lawler does not plan on disappearing from the sport entirely.

In an interview prior to his final bout, he expressed his desire to give back to the sport by coaching all of the fighters at Kill Cliff and sharing his experience with them. He believes that giving back is what martial arts is all about and is excited to make life easier for upcoming fighters in need of guidance.

Kill Cliff FC, formerly known as Sanford MMA, has many rising fighters who would benefit from having a legend like Robbie Lawler in their corner, so it's good to know that Lawler will still be present in the combat sports world.

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