Sorry for the long time between blogs - I am very excited about the way I fought this past weekend. After the long layoff, Melvin Manhoef was a very dangerous opponent, and I am very happy with the way I knocked out one of the most feared MMA strikers. Melvin had a good game plan and came in with some very powerful kicks. Fortunately, I was able to take advantage of him coming in with his hands down.

I want to thank the Hit Squad, Matt Hughes, Matt Pena, and Wayne Hogenson. These guys were in my corner and believed that I could win this fight. I would also like to thank all my fans and sponsors: Tapout, Rockstar, Toyo Tires, Dale’s Harley Davidson, Full Tilt Poker, and DPMS. 2009 was a tough year for me and this was a great way to start 2010.

-Robbie Lawler

July 27, 2009

Well, it has been awhile since I wrote something so...my fight with Jake did not go as planned. Jake tried to take me down and I was able to defend. I did, however, make a mistake which Jake capitalized on. I know what I did wrong and will continue to work on my skills. I have continued to train and look forward to my next fight.

People have been asking me where they can get the TapOut shirt I wore for my fight. It can be purchased at Dillards or online at TapOut.com.

Matt Veach, a HIT Squad fighter, has a fight coming up in August. I will be working with Veach in the coming weeks to help him prepare.

A couple weeks ago I went to a charity event for the Mike Miller Foundation.. Mike is a friend of mine that recently got traded to the Washington Wizards. His foundation's mission is to provide aid to disadvantaged and disabled children and to encourage children to have a healthy lifestyle. This is the second year I have attended - last year I got an autographed Marshall Faulk jersey; this year I got an autographed LT helmet (If you didn't already know, I am a huge football fan).

Anyway, thank you everyone (sponsors, trainers, fans, friends, and family) who have continued to support me and MMA in general. Peace.

Congrats to the Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Team on a NCAA championship. I attended the meet each day and watched a lot of good wrestling with my friends Hogie, Jon Madsen and Jacob Hey. I also turned 27 years old on March 20th.
I will be fighting Jake Shields within the coming months. Training has gone well during my long layoff; I have had time to concentrate on improving my strength and endurance. Saying I look forward to getting back in the cage is an understatement.

Congrats to Matt Veach on his first victory in the octagon on Feb 7. He showed great heart and determination in a fight that he took on a 9 day notice. Also, congratulations to Josh Neer on his submission win in the Fight of the Night.
Looks like Strikeforce has purchased Proelite. I have not been contacted personally yet by anyone regarding upcoming events or fights. I do not know who or when I will fight.
Thanks.

As many of you know, my friend and teammate Justin Eilers was shot and killed on Christmas day. Jens, Monte and I will be in Boise this weekend to help raise money for his son Tyson Eilers and to help pay for the funeral. All the money we raise will go into an IRA and will be given to his son for college.

If anyone wants to donate, contact Kris Price 208-866-6674

Congrats to Pat Miletich for his impressive KO of Thomas Denny in Moline IL at the Adrenaline show. It was great to go back to the area and see all my friends from MFS. Also congrats to Ryan McGivern, Mike C and Ben Rothwell for there victories on the show.
I have no news yet on when or where I will be fighting next. I have been training hard even with no fight in sight.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

As everyone knows Elite XC is no longer around. I enjoyed my time working for them and I was treated really well. Thank you to everyone at Proelite for the opportunity to fight in front of millions of fans.
Last week I spent at the UFC with Matt Hughes. The atmosphere was awesome as usual. I spent time talking to Monte Cox about what my options are. I also had a brief conversation with the very busy prez of the UFC. All that said I think I will be just fine. I will blog when i sign with an organization. Until then I will keep my self in good shape.

Story by Todd Hester

A terror in the cage who has dominated opponents in EC, IFC, UFC, Superbrawl, Icon, and now EliteXC, the 16-4 Robbie Lawler is the true king of MMA primetime TV!

In just two fights, both against Scott Smith, more people have seen Robbie Lawler fight than nearly any other fighter on the planet. If you take the 7 million viewers from their first fight on CBS and combine it with the 2 million from their second, over 9 million people now know the man simply called “Ruthless.”

But Lawler has not run up his record against “tomato cans” or handpicked opponents, he has taken on the toughest fighters in the sport, not ducking anyone but seeking out the best to prove he is the best. In an MMA world increasingly given to flash instead of form, Lawler is a throwback to the early days of the sport where you fought whoever, whenever, wherever.

Q: What is your family background?

LAWLER: My parents were divorced and my dad was in the Marines. I lived in California until I was 10 then we moved to Bettendorf, Iowa when I was in the fourth grade. I had an older brother so it made it a little easier to adjust to things. I lived in Iowa for pretty much the rest of my life, but I just moved to St. Louis and opened up a gym and MMA training center. A lot of military kids make a lot of moves but I only made the one, so it wasn’t really an issue for me.

Q: Did being around the Marine Corp give you a fighter’s mindset?

People have asked about my game plan for the fight last weekend against Scott Smith on the CBS Elite XC Saturday Night Fights. In the first round I wanted to be in his face and press the pace. I think I did a fair job of it, but Scott did a great job of dealing with the pressure and giving me some of his own. When I got cut in the second round, I knew immediately I had been cut. At that point, more than just wanting to press the pace-I knew I needed to press the pace.

The cut is not in the same place as the first cut. As a matter of fact, it is much higher up on my head and I do not think it is as bad as the first cut.

I want to thank Phillip Torres for letting us train at his gym the week of the fight. They really took care of us before and after the fight!

Not sure when I will fight next. I am going to keep my fitness level up in case I am called on sooner than later. This week I am out at the International MMA Expo(www.immae.tv) in Long Beach,CA. Will be here on Friday and Saturday signing autographs.

later...

Just got done with my fight in Stockton against Scott Smith. I will write more later but my hats off to Scott. He is a tough guy and had a great first round. His kids should be proud of their dad. Getting ready to go back to the hotel and hang out with my friends who came to the fight.

Wanted to thank all my sponsors for believing in me:

One More Round www.onemoreroundclothing.com
You will be able to get the shirt I wore into the ring soon.

Ecko www.shopecko.com
The shorts I wore are available by clicking the link below. www.shopecko.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3178435&cp=2441354.3178471

Nutritox www.nutritox.com
Fusion www.got-fusion.com
Dollamur www.dollamur.com
Toyo Tires www.toyo.com

If you are looking for mats to train on, I have found nothing better than Dollamur's mats. Our gym in Granite City is lined entirely with Dollamur mats on the floor, walls and posts. They have all different colors and ours are desert camo. I trained on them long before they sponsored me!

Till I get back to Illinois.