Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler will retire after his fight against Niko Price at UFC 290 and be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame along with Rory MacDonald.
Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler is set to retire after his upcoming bout against Niko Price at UFC 290 on July 8 in Las Vegas. UFC president Dana White announced Lawler’s retirement and his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame just two days prior to the fight as part of the International Fight Week festivities. Lawler will join the Hall of Fame alongside Rory MacDonald for their iconic battle at UFC 189 back in 2015. White announced on social media, “I found Robbie Lawler when he was 19 years old and UFC 290 will be the final fight of his amazing 22-year career.”
The 41-year-old veteran has been competing since 2001, when he made his professional debut and joined the UFC roster just over a year later. Lawler pulled off numerous highlight reel finishes before he left the UFC in 2005. During his time away from the promotion, he fought in several organizations, including a reign as middleweight champion in Elite XC and spending three years with Strikeforce.
Lawler eventually returned to the UFC, claimed the welterweight title in 2014, and went on to defend the belt two times, including his 2016 Fight of the Year against Carlos Condit. Lawler vs. Price will headline the UFC 290 prelims, which also includes a welterweight matchup between Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady, and a fight between Yazmin Jauregui and Denise Gomes. The main card for UFC 290 features Alexander Volkanovski battling Yair Rodriguez in a featherweight title unification bout, Brandon Moreno defending his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja, and Robert Whittaker facing Dricus Du Plessis to determine the new No. 1 contender at 185 pounds. The event will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the full card still to be announced at a later date.