Robbie Lawler Shares The Real Reason Behind His Return To Face Khamzat Chimaev At RAF 14

Robbie Lawler opens up about his surprise combat sports return© Instagram/ ruthless_rl

Robbie Lawler did not expect his comeback to arrive this quickly. The former UFC welterweight champion meets Khamzat Chimaev, a former UFC middleweight champion, in a catchweight freestyle wrestling match at RAF 14 in Las Vegas on Friday. The bout co-headlines the card, and it is his first competition since he retired from MMA in 2023. The 44-year-old has spent recent years coaching young fighters at the Kill Cliff FC gym in Florida. He explained why he said yes, and he also reacted to the press conference brawl involving Chimaev.

Robbie Lawler Reveals Motivation For Unexpected Khamzat Chimaev Clash At RAF 14

Robbie Lawler said the match gave him something to work toward. He kept his body in shape after leaving MMA, and the Khamzat Chimaev offer came with a date sooner than he planned. In a media scrum, Lawler said: “I've been training and keeping my body in shape. And it just gave me something to look forward to.” He added: “But I thought it was gonna be later. But when you say yes, you say yes.”

Lawler also spoke about the grind itself: “It's just nice to get in there, grind, and actually have a goal and opportunity to go out there, and compete, and do it at a high level.”

His last pro fight was at UFC 290 in July 2023, a first-round knockout of Niko Price. Retirement followed, though Lawler later said he could still keep fighting.

Chimaev comes in from a different place. He beat Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight belt last year and lost it to Sean Strickland in May. His path back is unclear. Strickland is in a contract dispute with the UFC, and contenders like Nassourdine Imavov are also in the title mix, so some believe Chimaev's next shot could be months away.

Robbie Lawler Weighs In On Arman Tsarukyan And Dillon Danis' Explosive Clash

The press conference ended in a brawl after Arman Tsarukyan went after Dillon Danis, and Chimaev got involved. Lawler, who fought in MMA from 2001 to 2023, wanted no part of it. He told MMA Fighting, “It is what it is. It's just, I'm here to wrestle and compete. I'm just keeping my life simple and I'm not trying to get involved in any of that nonsense.”

Pressed for more, he spoke about the example fighters set. “It's just, you want to put your best foot forward and a lot of kids are watching this, guys who are excited about wrestling,” Lawler said. “It's not always about the show and it's not about the eyes. It's about freaking having this sport be built and taking it to another level.

“And I just think we need to do a better job as competitors.”