How 'ruthless' Robbie Lawler keeps fighting at age 40

Robbie Lawler is a decorated MMA star and a much-loved fighter, and with a successful 20-year career and a solid 29-15-0 record, the "Ruthless One" is still enjoying the grind. Case in point: On July 3, at UFC 276, he faces Bryan Barberena, an opponent seven years his junior.

Muscle & Fitness sat down with the former UFC welterweight and EliteXC middleweight champion at his home in Parkland, Florida, to find out the secret behind his consistent calm and the motivation to keep fighting training at such an elite level.

“Every day is my birthday,” Lawler said, reflecting on his 40th birthday in March. There wasn't a big party, and why should there be? "Every day is Christmas; every day is sunny. Life is good," he beams. However, after being an MMA mainstay for more than two decades, what gets him out of bed in the morning? “I enjoy training, so I'll do it after I'm done fighting... I'll figure out something else to participate in, but I'm enjoying the preparation,” Lawler says. "I enjoy the discipline of going in and training and doing those things. I take care of myself. I'll continue to put that into mine later stages of life. That's what I do. I take care of myself, I train, I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember, so it’s just kind of second nature.”

For Robbie Lawler, maturity brings balance

Has the MMA legend's perception of success changed since he entered the sport? "Yes, definitely. Living and learning. I have created more balance now than when I was younger," he says. "When you're younger, my God, you cave in and just focus on certain things, but as you get older you realize there's more out there than just this or that. [Age] opens your eyes and you start to realize, OK, how can I create a little bit of balance where I can be a little more relaxed but more or less take advantage of everything that's out there in life."

For Lawler, the key to finding that balance was staying consistent while life creates welcome distractions like family. "Time management has never been my strong suit because [when I was younger] it was easy, it was all about training and when I needed to rest, I rested or just trained all day," he says. “Now this is it, I have to figure it out how to spend time with my family. I go to the gym and when I'm not training I'm helping other guys. I have to take care of my dogs, things like that that I haven't focused on at all. There's business stuff, interviews, it's definitely tiring, it can be, but just finding that balance and enjoying it, it's part of the evolution of life I think. Definitely my life.”

Lawler is admittedly quiet most of the time, but far from being careless, his relaxed demeanor comes from knowing he has all his ducks in a row. “I’m pretty relaxed about stuff,” he shares. "But sometimes you just have to stay on top of things and make sure you're doing what you're supposed to, and even though you're relaxed, you still have deadlines and things you need to do during the day." Luckily, the only mixed martial artist to win three consecutive Fight of the Year awards in both Sherdog and MMA fighting has learned to accept the support of others when it comes to getting things done.

Robbie Lawler has learned to focus more and micromanage less

“I have a lot of nice people around me,” he says. "My wife does a great job making my life easier. My fight team prepares me well for these fights. My management takes care of everything that's needed, so I have my pieces in place so I can relax. More or less it allows everyone to do what they do to make my life easier, whereas before it was [I tried to] micromanage. There's a reason you have all these people around you who specialize in what they do and you a little bit Taking the burden off.”

Robbie Lawler is disciplined

With a support system that allows Lawler to be his best Preparation for every fight, the welterweight is able to stay highly motivated. "I'm really disciplined and I've always been interested in fitness, so I'm always reading [and asking] how can I get better?" He says. “How can I improve my health just so my body can guess and heal.” Just over a week removed from his fight against Barberena in Las Vegas, Lawler does intermittent fasting for 16 to 18 hours per day. "Sometimes you give it up and it makes you stronger, and that's what I do. And sometimes it helps to overdo it. It might work; overdoing it or overeating and seeing what your body does with the food, so it's just a trick for your body and seeing what it can do. With supplements like energy drinks, Lawler says they have to taste good or he'll find them a chore. That's what the fighter says Kill Cliff is his preferred brand because of what they offer clean fuel for energy while checking his box for flavor. "And the cool thing about their energy drink is that they use green tea and a little bit of ginseng so you don't crash like other energy drinks do," he says.

To make sure he can make the weight, "Ruthless" will do his first workout of the day fasting: He'll run or do a hill sprint for 35 to 40 minutes, then he'll jump straight into a weight-lifting session. "It'll be about 70% to 80% of my max, but super low reps, just getting those muscles burning and a little bit of explosive work," he shares. The UFC star will then do some work on his core and stability before heading home to do more cardio. Then he goes to the sauna. Only then will he eat for the first time that day. Because of his intermittent fasting and high physical activity, Lawler says he can be flexible with what he eats, but for now he chooses to keep carbs low for ketogenesis. “Just so I can use all kinds of energy,” he says.

Lawler is passionate about testing his body and loves seeing the results of his hard work. “My body feels good,” he says. “It’s just a matter of pushing it hard enough but giving your body a chance to recover.” With only a few days left until he steps into the octagon, what are Lawler's thoughts on the fight and his opponent? “Bryan is coming to fight,” he claims. "He has to be very skilled and he's a tough guy, so I expect the guy to come out there and get in my face and try to take me out. But [laughs] That's what usually happens in these fights and people try to beat you up and it's my job to stop that." There's no doubt that "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler is an entertaining fighter, but make no mistake, he wants to win. “My style is just entertaining,” he says. "That's how I fight, so I don't make any effort to excite people, that's just how I fight, and if people like it, cool, and if they don't like it, I'm happy with myself and that's the most important thing."