After months away, Robbie Lawler says he’s “back to work”

Last July, in the main event of UFC 201, Robbie Lawler was knocked out in the very first round of a fight with Tyron Woodley. With this knockout loss, Lawler’s exciting and violent reign as UFC welterweight champion came to a crashing halt.

For a moment, it sounded as though the former champion would be getting back on the horse in November, when he was expected to take on fellow fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on the main card of UFC 205 in New York City. Regrettably, Lawler pulled out of this fight just days after it was announced. It is believed that he did so to give himself a bit more time to recover from his concussive loss to Woodley.

Since Lawler’s withdrawal from UFC 205, we haven’t heard a whole lot about him. We learned that he left his long-time home of American Top Team, but as far as potential matchups for the former champ go, things have been pretty quiet.

Luckily for the legions of bloodthirsty Lawler fans out there, however, it now looks like the former champ is plotting a return to the cage. On Monday, he took to Instagram with a simple picture of himself squaring up in his boxing gloves, accompanied by the caption “back to work.”

When, where, and against whom Lawler returns, of course, is still a mystery. A fighter with his skill and propensity for excitement, however, matches up well with pretty much everybody. He’s got plenty of interesting options, from Cowboy, to Jorge Masvidal, to Georges St-Pierre, to Nick Diaz. Whoever he returns agains, fans are certain to tune in.

Prior to his loss to Woodley, Lawler made two defenses of the welterweight title, first TKOing Rory MacDonald in a bloody battle, then edging Carlos Condit in a similarly thrilling fight. Prior to these wins, he defeated Johny Hendricks with a close decision to win the welterweight title.

Who do you want to see Robbie Lawler fight in his return to the Octagon? Sound off, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/28/2017.