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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
33-year-old Robbie Lawler took the long road to a UFC Championship, but his resurgence since returning to the UFC has been nothing short of spectacular.
Now 14 years into the sport of mixed martial arts, Lawler said this week that his current run and longevity have come about due to a smarter approach in training. He thinks fighters need to learn to pay more attention to what their bodies are telling them, and prepare from there.
"It just comes down to everyone is different, but take care of your body," Lawler said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "Be smart out there. You can't just go hard every day. You have to let your body rest and listen to your coaches. Hopefully you have good coaches around you, good people around you. Just work hard. Learn as much as possible, and grind away.
While that's a part of his recent success, Lawler also acknowledges the team he's had around him, and he credits those individuals and those teams for bringing him to where he sits now.
"It just comes down to I've had a lot of really good people around me – people who didn't give up on me," he said. "I never gave up on myself, but I had a lot of people who helped me along the way – a lot of coaches, a lot of training partners – and I'm here today because of those guys putting a lot of hard work and dedication into me.
"I just kept at it, and it worked out."
Penick's Analysis: Lawler's story is an amazing case of perseverance. It wasn't long ago that it seemed his time as any type of elite competitor was just over with. Instead, he rededicated himself, moved back to 170 lbs., and hasn't let up since. Who knows how far he can take that, and how long he can hold onto that title, but getting it in the first place was crazy enough by itself. Keeping himself healthy, allowing his body to heal while training, and approaching everything in his camps and his fights from a more intelligent angle has given him a position few could have even envisioned three years ago. More fighters could certainly learn from that example.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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