Opinion: Lawler vs. Condit Was No Robbery

Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit went through five rounds of marvelous hell at UFC 195, setting the bar early for “Fight of the Year” and “Round of the Year” in 2016.

The moment it was announced that Lawler had retained his UFC welterweight title in a hotly contested split decision, social media lit afire with fans and pundits calling the verdict a robbery.

Even though more than a few scorecards favored Condit over Lawler -- including that of this writer, who was stationed cageside -- I have one thing to say: This was not a robbery.

Was it disputed? Sure. We could argue for the next several months about that pivotal third round which saw Lawler outland by Condit to the tune of 22 to 11. However, the term “robbery” is used far too often in combat sports, and we need to temper the usage of it for those moments when a fighter truly has a victory ripped away by horrific judges.

Here’s the dilemma: The argument that significant strikes landed should determine who won the third round must then apply to the entirety of the fight. Condit outlanded Lawler in every round of the title fight. Round two went to Lawler courtesy of a savage knockdown from which I’m still not sure how Condit managed to recover. The memorable fifth round is a little more interesting, since it looked like Lawler dominated but Condit somehow kept his senses intact while firing back. However, even in that final round, with Lawler pressing the action, Condit still outstruck him 62 to 53.

This wasn’t Michael Bisping versus Matt Hammil, the first bout betweeen Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia, or even Phil Davis versus Lyoto Machida. Judges Derek Cleary, Chris Lee and Tony Weeks were competent and in agreement on all rounds except for one.

The third round was interesting because Lawler started out strong, and it can be argued that he landed the more telling blows. There was a hard right hand that visibly moved Condit backwards earlier in the round, along with a standing elbow that connected hard. Meanwhile, Condit was a typhoon of punches and kicks that never let up, but it was also difficult to see what was landing and what wasn’t. It appeared that Condit closed strong enough to squeeze out the round, but both Cleary and Lee went with Lawler.

Even if you disagree with the result, it’s not the worst thing the sport has ever seen and doesn’t deserve to be panned as such. It was grating to hear the crowd inside MGM Grand Garden Arena boo the decision after both of these men engaged in a title fight for the ages. It’s understandable that they may have thought Condit won, but to take away from the moment by jeering doesn’t help anyone. Instead, fans should cheer the effort put on by both of these fighters.

More importantly, the way Lawler chose to close out the fight should be commended because he fought as if his life depended on it, something that is becoming a part of Lawler’s growing legend. “Ruthless” certainly wasn’t content with leaving the fight in the hands of the judges and did everything in his power to separate Condit from his consciousness.

For his part, Condit refused to rest on the possibility that the fight was in the bag and fended off Lawler’s advances. Any other fighter may have crumbled under that kind of pressure, but Condit remained upright and fought back. It was a poetic moment to see the two combatants rest side by side on the cage when the final horn sounded and then raise one another’s hand in victory.

This isn’t boxing. This isn’t a sport where a loss will forever doom a fighter. In fact, Condit and Lawler have 19 losses between them. Nobody cares. All fans want to see are great fights.

Sometimes a result isn’t exactly what you expect it to be, but I’d much rather boo a terrible fight than a questionable decision. Condit and Lawler are destined to meet again and settle the score, and I believe that the MMA world will be here for all 25 minutes (or less) of beautiful brutality that comes along with it.