Robbie Lawler Suffered Torn ACL and Meniscus In His Knee During Rafael dos Anjos Fight

There’s tough and then there’s Robbie Lawler tough.

The former UFC welterweight champion fought the majority of his fight against Rafael dos Anjos on one leg after blowing out his ACL and suffering a torn meniscus during their five round main event just a few weeks ago at UFC on FOX 26 in Canada.

Sources close to the veteran welterweight confirmed Lawler suffered a torn ACL and meniscus after UFC president Dana White first reference the injury in a conversation with Yahoo! Sports on Thursday.

“The guy’s leg was destroyed,” White said about Lawler. “Blew his ACL and meniscus and every other thing that’s in your knee out in like the third round. Wobbled over to the fence, laid against it and asked dos Anjos to come in so they could just bang it out. Robbie Lawler went to the fifth round.”

Lawler has never publicly disclosed the injury and after his loss he offered no excuses for his defeat but instead paid credit to dos Anjos for a great performance.

As far as Lawler’s timeline to return that remains unknown at this time until the fighter undergoes surgery on his knee. While ACL surgeries in the past have hobbled some athletes for more than a year, advancements in medicine and recovery have allowed a much quicker turn around time.

Unfortunately even with that timeline, it’s like Lawler will be forced to sit out the majority of 2018 dealing with his knee injury.