Robbie Lawler Calls Loss to Colby Covington at UFC on ESPN 5 ‘Learning Experience’

While the outcome was not what he had hoped for, Robbie Lawler wasn’t completely unhappy with his performance at UFC on ESPN 5 on Saturday night.

Instead, the former welterweight champion gave credit to opponent Colby Covington, who outworked him for five rounds on the feet and on the mat to earn a convincing unanimous decision victory at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

“Colby did a really good job,” Lawler told media members after the fight. “I just wasn’t able to do enough. He kept a good pace, mixed it up with takedowns. My body felt good. I just need to go back to the drawing board and get back to work because there’s a few things I can strengthen up and get better.

“It’s a learning experience. I actually felt pretty good going out in the cage. I felt pretty good in there. Just need to get back to work.”

Covington’s relentless effort was evident in the final statistics released by UFCStats.com. “Chaos” outlanded his opponent by a 179-to-78 count in significant strikes and was also successful on 10 of his 18 takedown attempts. Lawler said that nothing Covington threw really hurt him, but it was nonetheless enough to keep him on the defensive for the better part of 25 minutes. In the heat of the moment, Lawler wasn’t necessarily aware of his adversary’s impressive output.

“I’m just trying to duck and dodge and weave,” Lawler said. “You don’t pay attention to those things. You’re not counting punches. His volume was high. He kept a good rate. But it’s just part of the game.”

It was Lawler’s second Octagon appearance since suffering a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in a loss to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 26 in December 2017. The 37-year-old former Miletich Fighting Systems product acknowledged that he wasn’t where he was at his physical peak, but he also said it was the best his knee had felt in some time.

“Not as good as ever, but it’s been a while since I felt good moving around, bouncing around,” Lawler said. “My takedown defense was pretty good. Getting back up was pretty good. I just need to get back to work and build on those things.”

Regardless, Lawler refused to blame a previous injury for his loss on Saturday.

“It’s all just a learning experience. There’s no excuses. I feel like somebody could take that and twist it and say, ‘Maybe he wasn’t right because of this.’ That was the best I’ve been for a while, and I’m going to grow from it,” he said.

After the victory, Covington gave a controversial post-fight interview in which he referenced Matt Hughes’ train accident of a couple years ago. Hughes, a former training partner of Lawler’s during the Miletich era, offered a measured response on social media. Lawler, however, didn’t have much to add.

“I couldn’t even really hear what he said. I mean, guys are crossing the line. It seems like the media loves it and you eat it up, right? That’s for you guys to write about and have your own opinions on it. It’s not for me,” Lawler said. “It’s not for me to have an opinion. Everyone wants to see what I have to say. It is what it is, I’m just worried about myself as usual.

Covington, a former interim welterweight champion, appears to have earned his shot at reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman with his seventh consecutive victory. Lawler didn’t make any predictions, but he does expect a competitive matchup when the two rivals finally do square off in the Octagon.

“It’s going to be a good fight,” Lawler said. “Obviously, Colby likes to put volume on. Usman is a very strong, rangy, smart fighter. It’s going to be a good fight. I think the UFC is going to do a good job with promoting what they like to promote.”