June 24, 2022 11: 30 am ET
Robbie Lawler was captured a littlebit off guard when he discovered out he would be battling on the initial card of a UFC occasion for the veryfirst time in 20 years.
Lawler (29-15 MMA, 14-9 UFC), a previous UFC welterweight champ and one of the most amazing rivals in the history of the sport, is set to battle Bryan Barberena (17-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) on the undercard of UFC 276, which takes location July 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The primary card for the occasion will air on pay-per-view, following prelims that were simply revealed to air on both ABC and ESPN – and early prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Although the preliminary-card platform often brings more eyeballs than the primary card of a pay-per-view, there’s a specific status that comes with being positioned on the leading part of the lineup. Lawler hasn’t been on the prelims of a UFC card giventhat his advertising launching versus Aaron Riley at UFC 37 in May 2002, and he confessed he didn’t anticipate to be back there at this phase of his profession.
“I’m not going to lie: I was amazed,” Lawler informed MMA Junkie on Friday. “I’m like, ‘OK, whatever.’ I get to get out of there earlier, which is good. I dream they simply put me . Start the program and then get out. Maybe fly house.”
The battle with Barberena at UFC 276 is a significant shif