Chimaev and Lawler Name Each Other's Favorite Fights Before RAF 14

Khamzat Chimaev and Robbie Lawler were asked at the RAF 14 press conference which of each other's UFC fights stayed with them the most. Their wrestling match was set for October 23 at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, and both men were respectful in the build-up.

Chimaev chose Lawler's welterweight title fight with Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 in July 2015. "That was one of the craziest fight ever I've seen. This guy is a legend, so I'm a big fan of him. I was in school when he was fighting, making crazy fights. I grew up watching his fights, so now I have the chance. Not just seeing him, I'm going to wrestle with this guy," Chimaev said.

The reporter then turned to Lawler, who said he had watched many of Chimaev's performances. His favorite was the one against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. "I've watched so many. I mean, probably the most impressive is when he fought Whitaker the last time. Took him down and smashed his face," Lawler said.

Where both men stand

Chimaev's first-round submission of Whittaker earned him a title fight. He won the middleweight belt by beating Dricus du Plessis and later lost it to Sean Strickland.

Lawler knocked out Niko Price in the first round at UFC 290 in July 2023 and then announced his retirement from MMA. The RAF match was set to be his first combat sports outing since.

He said he has kept training and staying in shape despite retiring, and the offer to wrestle Chimaev gave him something to look forward to. "Okay, you want to wrestle Chimaev? I'm, like, yeah. Let's go. But I thought it was gonna be later. But when you say yes, you say yes. And then they're, like, oh, it's on this date. Like, alright, let's go," Lawler said. "It's just nice to get in there, grind, and actually have a goal and opportunity to go out there, and compete, and do it at a high level."

Source: MMA Sucka