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| Credit: UFC |
There is no question that 2014 has been another exciting year in the short but storied history of mixed martial arts. We've seen some fantastic shows, fighters and finishes on the domestic level and international stage. Cage Warriors and BAMMA have put on some good shows this year and there are plenty of men who look like posisble fighters of the year down the line.
We take a look at this year's fighter of the year, breaking down the small shortlist of possible winners, and ultimately, discussing why Robbie Lawler has come out on top, as the icing on cake in 2014.
The main problem this year is that due to injuries and ailments we didn't get to see some of the bigger named fighters "get it on" as much as many would have hoped for. Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez didn't defend his belt in 2014, after a torn meniscus and sprained ACL in his right knee he withdrew from a fight with number one contender Fabricio Werdum at UFC 180.
Despite all the injuries, there really was one stand out fighter that the majority of the Kingdom MMA team singled out as simply owning 2014, and that is "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler.
It's hard to find anyone else on the UFC roster more deserving than Lawler, who has really defied the odds this year. Even in 2013, he showed how good he was, picking up wins over Josh Koscheck and Rory MacDonald before falling short against Johny Hendricks at UFC 171 at the beginning of 2014.
But in 2014 he looked like a man on a mission, starting at UFC 173 with an incredible TKO victory over Jake Ellenberger. Then, in a possible fight of the year, he defeated durably tough Matt "The Immortal" Brown by decision to merit a rematch with Hendricks.
Before we talk about that rematch with Hendricks, here's the reason why Lawler's story is so special. Despite only being 32, Lawler has done it all in MMA. He debuted in the UFC back in May, 2002 at UFC 37, coming out on top over Aaron Riley.
After a tough run which saw him lose to Nick Diaz and Evan Tanner he was dropped from the company. But the young buck continued his journey to the top, competing in Elite XC and then Strikeforce, which again would garner mixed results.
All his career, Lawler has been a tough fighter, but lacked something to push for the top spot. Upon his return to the UFC he looked like the compete package, he was more mature, fought much smarter and was still a complete badass inside the octagon.
December 6, 2014, at UFC 181 it all came full circle for "Ruthless" as he notched Johny Hendricks in a split decision to win the welterweight world title, more than 13 years after his professional MMA debut, he had reached the mountain.
Don't let the tag "split decision" fool you. Lawler fought extremely smart in that fight to negate Hendricks wrestling, and managed to stay away from the majority of Big Rigg's bombs in the process.
A comeback from being just another guy in MMA, 2014 was truly his year. Robbie Lawler, Kingdom MMA Male Fighter of the Year.
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