Written by Robbie Lawler | Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Robbie Lawler is a UFC Hall of Famer. Again.
During Saturday’s UFC 313 broadcast from Las Vegas, Lawler, 42, was announced as the newest inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing. He was previously inducted in 2023 as one half of a classic title fight between him and Rory MacDonald at UFC 189.
Watch video of the announcement below.
Celebramos a Robbie Lawler, miembro del Salón de la Fama de UFC! #UFC313 pic.twitter.com/iaJBK5xWBx
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) March 9, 2025
Shout out “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler who is now Hall of Fame bound! #UFC313 | LIVE on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/kS12Mnm0eB
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) March 9, 2025
Lawler’s solo induction was seemingly inevitable given his status as a one-time UFC champion and popular fan favorite. In the early 2000s, “Ruthless” developed his reputation as an all-action fighter for the UFC before going on to compete for other promotions such as Strikeforce and EliteXC. When he returned to the UFC in 2013, he embarked on a championship run that few expected.
After scoring impressive wins over Josh Koscheck, Bobby Voelker, and MacDonald, Lawler earned his first shot at UFC gold when he battled Johny Hendricks for a vacant welterweight title at UFC 171. Though Lawler came out on the losing end of a decision on that night, he battled back to a rematch with Hendricks, this time coming out on top at UFC 181 and going on to defend the title twice, including his classic UFC 189 rematch with MacDonald and his UFC 195 war with Carlos Condit that will likely earn its own induction someday.
Lawler won five Fight of the Night bonuses in his 15-10 run in the UFC and retired in July 2023 with a pro record of 30-16 (1 NC). In the final fight of his career at UFC 290, Lawler thrilled the fans one last time with a 38-second knockout of Niko Price.
The 2025 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place June 28 at T-Mobile Arena as part of International Fight Week. Also announced for the induction list so far are producer Craig Piligian (Contributor Wing) and UFC 236 title fight between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum (Fight Wing).
Lawler joins a number of legends in the Modern Wing, including 2024 inductee Frankie Edgar, all-time greats Jose Aldo, Daniel Cormier, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Georges St-Pierre, and women’s MMA pioneer Ronda Rousey.