Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler has built his legendary career on a simple but harsh philosophy: why submit an opponent when you can beat them up instead?
In a revealing interview with Ariel Helwani on “The Helwani Show,” the soon-to-be two-time UFC Hall of Fame inductee shared his unique perspective on combat sports that has shaped his career of devastating knockouts.
“I want to beat people. Beat people up,” Lawler plainly stated when asked about his preference for knockouts over submissions.
The statistics tell the story: 22 knockouts versus just one submission victory in his professional career. When pressed about this disparity, Lawler explained his mentality.
“If you submit somebody, there’s tricks, right? There’s little tricks like, you tricked me. But if you whoop somebody’s ass, you beat them up. Then there was really no trick to that,” Lawler said.
This philosophy was perhaps most famously displayed during a 2016 interview when discussing Conor McGregor’s loss to Nate Diaz. In that viral moment, Lawler stated that if he had fought McGregor, he wouldn’t have taken his neck—he would have taken “his soul.”
Elaborating on those comments, Lawler suggested that Diaz actually “let McGregor off the hook” by submitting him rather than continuing to punish him.
“He did just freaking take his neck and let him off the hook,” Lawler said. “Because he had him, could have done whatever he wanted.”
Interestingly, Lawler’s perspective doesn’t extend to being on the receiving end of submissions. Unlike some fighters who refuse to tap out, Lawler takes a practical approach.
“I would tap,” he admitted. “I would never go to sleep. That’s stupid… Oxygen away from your brain? What does that prove? If you got me, you got me.”
Despite his preference for striking, Lawler clarified that he doesn’t push this philosophy onto MMA stars he coaches: “In the end, it’s beat the guy up, and he’s going to give you those submissions.”
Lawler, who retired in July 2023 after a knockout victory over Niko Price, is set to receive his second induction into the UFC Hall of Fame this month during International Fight Week. Despite rumors of a potential comeback in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship against Mike Perry, Lawler recently confirmed he’s content in retirement.
“They [the BKFC] touched base in January of last year and this is where we are today. I mean, I never say never, but I’m retired,” Lawler explained.
Whether retired or not, Lawler’s unique fighting philosophy remains a fascinating insight into the mind of one of MMA’s most beloved knockout artists.
