Robbie Lawler and Anthony Pettis offer stories of redemption and validation
When you boil away all the interviews, video hype packages and television commercials, mixed martial arts really comes down to one thing and one thing only: what happens in the cage. Still it's impossible to ignore the stories that are attached to the fighters competing in the sport, because those addendums sometimes make the good moments seem grand.
Take for instance Saturday night in Las Vegas when Robbie Lawler was declared the winner by split decision over Johny Hendricks and he became the new UFC welterweight champion.
When Lawler left the UFC in 2004 he was a cautionary tale about wasted potential.
The young upstart out of Iowa was supposed to follow in the footsteps of his adopted big brother Matt Hughes when he debuted in the UFC in 2002. In those early days his trainer Pat Miletich would say that Lawler hit him harder in training than any other fighter he'd worked with. Lawler lived up to expectations early, winning three fights in a row to start his career, but then went just 1-3 in his final four fights before getting bounced from the promotion.
Lawler went on to have a successful career outside the UFC, winning titles in promotions like ICON and Elite XC as a middleweight, but then entered a period of time in which he was just toiling away in Strikeforce. Lawler suffered losses to Jake Shields, Tim Kennedy and Lorenz Larkin and often looked listless and uninterested during his performances.
When Lawler decided to drop back to welterweight and return to the UFC, it was a nice coming-home story. Most assumed Lawler would be a fun addition to the welterweight division, take home a few Fight of the Night bonuses and maybe even earn a couple more knockouts to add to his highlight reel. It's probably safe to say not many people were betting on Lawler to skyrocket to the top of the division and fight for the title twice in the same year.
Now, after avenging his March loss to Hendricks, Lawler stands as the best welterweight in the sport. He's no longer a prospect that didn't quite live up to expectations. He's maybe the greatest comeback story in UFC history, considering how long he had been gone, and to return and do what he's done is almost beyond belief.
"It means a lot," Lawler said after his victory at UFC 181. "But it means a lot to me because of all the people around me. This wasn't just me out there. There was a lot of time and effort from a lot of people around me that helped me to get where I am today, and it's their victory, too."
The list of people Lawler would thank is quite long, starting with guys like Miletich and Hughes and ending with his new trainers, sparring partners and coaches at American Top Team in Florida.
And there's a big bonus to this story with nothing but happy endings: American Top Team, long regarded as one of the best MMA camps in the entire sport, never actually had a UFC champion on their roster — until now. Needless to say, the entire team was going to celebrate on Saturday night.
While Lawler's win at UFC 181 was a story of redemption, Anthony Pettis picked up an equally impressive victory that rang with validation.
For the past 15 months, Pettis has been on the sideline dealing with knee injuries and coaching on the latest season of "The Ultimate Fighter" while every lightweight on the roster had plenty to say about him. Benson Henderson, whom Pettis beat to win the title, made remarks about how he probably was going to fight three times before the new champion even defended his belt once. Undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov used words like "paper champion" to describe Pettis in every interview he conducted.
So what did Pettis do at UFC 181?
He went out and finished Gilbert Melendez, who had never been knocked out or submitted in his 12-year, 25-fight career. Pettis put him away inside of two rounds and looked great in victory.
Now the key for Pettis is maintaining his health so he can continue to defend his title and put on the kind of performances that might make him one of the most marketable champions on the UFC roster. Pettis already is on the cover of the Wheaties box. He scored an endorsement deal with Reebok before they signed with the UFC.
Now he's doing what he's meant to do and that's win title fights.
If Pettis is able to stay busy in 2015, he might join Jon Jones, Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey as the most popular fighters on the roster, which then translates to him becoming one of the highest-paid athletes in the UFC as well. The lightweight division hasn't had a high-profile champion since B.J. Penn was pulling in huge numbers at the box office.
Pettis has the chance to be that guy again, and maybe even more because his style sometimes results in a highlight like the "Showtime" kick, which might be the most replayed moment in MMA history at this point.
UFC president Dana White said earlier this week that Pettis could be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport with a win on Saturday night. Of course it was promotional hyperbole to sell a show, but if Pettis can stay busy and keeps winning, a year from now he might be at or near the top of that list.
