Robbie Lawler says he “was surprised” to find out he was fighting on the UFC 276 prelims

Robbie Lawler was surprised to find out he’s fighting on the UFC 276 preliminary card.

The middleweight Lawler has not been on a preliminary card of a UFC event for 20 years.

Lawler (29-15 MMA), a former UFC welterweight champion, is set to enter the Octagon with Bryan Barberena (17-8 MMA) on the undercard of UFC 276, which takes place on July 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In speaking with ‘MMA Junkie‘ today, Robbie Lawler opened up about being designated to the preliminary card saying:

“I’m not going to lie: I was surprised. I’m like, ‘OK, whatever.’ I get to get out of there earlier, which is nice. I wish they just put me first. Start the show and then get out. Maybe fly home.”

Lawler most recently fought Nick Diaz (26-10 MMA) in September of 2021 at UFC 266, where he won via TKO.

Barberena is entering the cage with 2 wins in his last 2 fights against Matt Brown (23-19 MMA) and Darian Weeks (5-2 MMA) respectively.

Lawler, spoke about his past fight with Diaz and his upcoming bout with ‘Bam Bam’ saying:

“I mean, obviously it’s totally different. They’re both lefties, which is nice. (I) just trained for a leftie in Nick, and Bryan’s a leftie. It’s a decent transition. I don’t have to switch too much up. But it’s all about staying focused and being a professional and trying to bring that same energy to a fight against Bryan. … There’s definitely no back story, but Bryan comes to fight, and that’s a pretty good story. I come to fight, and the fans are going to get what they love: two guys going out there looking for finishes standing up. You never know what’s going to happen. Maybe he’ll wrestle, but we’ll see. I’m excited to go out there and showcase my skills.”

Finishing Robbie Lawler, who turned 40 this year, has no immediate plans concerning retirement saying:

“Just one fight at a time. We’ll see what happens. I enjoy doing this. I can do it at a high level. I’m training with really good guys at Sanford MMA. They’re pushing me. I’m holding my own. So as long as I’m enjoying it and my body feels good and I’m excited to fight and put on a show, then I’m going to continue to do it.”

“I always feel like I’m going to go out there and put on a fight. That’s the only way I know how to do this. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m not planning on switching my style anytime soon. But there’s really good fighters on the card. Really good fighters – real technical, real exciting. Guys who bang, guys who do it all. It’s going to be a tough one to get that Performance of the Night.”

Will you be watching Lawler vs Barberena at UFC 276? Who is your pick to be the victor?

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