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What's the story?
In the main event of UFC on ESPN 5 last night, we saw a truly outstanding performance from the controversial Colby Covington leading to a comfortable decision victory over Robbie Lawler.
During his post-fight press duties, Lawler took a moment to address Covington's impressive display as well as providing an honest evaluation of his own performance.
In case you didn't know...
According to Dana White, last night's win was enough to secure a title fight for Covington in his next bout. Lawler, on the other hand, will now surely need to take some time to assess all options before stepping back into the cage.
The seasoned veteran now has a record of 28-14 inside the cage and has lost four of his last five outings in the UFC.
The heart of the matter...
Lawler's honest take on his loss comes as no real surprise, taking into account the one-sided nature of last night's main event.
“I mean he did a really good job. I just need to get back to the drawing board and get back to work. Get in a little bit of better shape. I felt the best I’ve felt in a few years. But yes, I’m going to go back on Monday and get back to work and just get better.”
Unfortunately, the loss does put Lawler on a worrying streak of three consecutive losses and questions may begin to be asked of what the future holds for the popular 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler.
"Colby did a really good job. I just wasn’t able to do enough. My body felt good, I just need to go back to the drawing board and get back to work. There is a few things I can strengthen up and get better at. It’s a learning experience, I actually felt pretty good going out into the cage. I felt pretty good in there, I just need to get back to work.”
Meanwhile, Covington's star just keeps on growing. His demeanour outside the cage may not be to everyone's taste, but you cannot deny that he is consistently backing up his words with his performances. Soon he will have his chance to claim the top spot in the welterweight division that he so clearly desires.
What's next?
Based on his post-fight comments, Lawler will presumably take some time off to learn from the mistakes he made this time round before finding a new opponent.
Covington, on the other hand, will be keen to get back into the thick of it as soon as possible - a welterweight title fight with Kamaru Usman has already been touted for the Autumn months of 2019.
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