Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler was clearly troubled by some kind of leg injury during his recent decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos, and unfortunately it seems that the damage was severe.
“He blew his ACL, meniscus and every other thing that’s in your knee out in like the third round,” White told Yahoo! Sports Kevin Iole yesterday. “Wobbled over to the fence, laid against it and asked Dos Anjos to come in so they could just bang it out. Robbie Lawler went to the fifth round.”
Unfortunately that kind of injury means that ‘Ruthless’ is now likely to be facing a long spell on the sidelines, with an ACL injury alone being enough to require at least 6-9 months out, if not longer, meaning that in the worst-case scenario he could be out for the entire 2018 campaign.
That’s likely to be a source of frustration for the 35-year-old as he would have been eager to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later, particularly as he’s still a leading contender in the weight class as the current No.4 ranked contender, thanks to an overall 9-3 run at 170lbs since rejoining the UFC in 2013.
Lawler’s absence may give other fighters an increaased chance to shine though, including emerging forces like Colby Covington and Darren Till, so the welterweight landscape could shift significantly by the time the former champ is able to return to the fold.
