Paid Members WeeAl Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 I hope Lawler isn't a spent force, but something was missing for him in his last fight. Things could have went on that either mentally affected his training and his prep for the Woodley fight, resulting in him leaving camps, or maybe, and I hope this isn't the case, he isn't taking something that he was taking before. His physique was quite a lot different in that fight as compared to his other title fights on this run. I'm hoping it was the former and that he comes back against Cerrone in top form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members lambyUK Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 1 hour ago, WeeAl said: I hope Lawler isn't a spent force, but something was missing for him in his last fight. Things could have went on that either mentally affected his training and his prep for the Woodley fight, resulting in him leaving camps, or maybe, and I hope this isn't the case, he isn't taking something that he was taking before. His physique was quite a lot different in that fight as compared to his other title fights on this run. I do have a feeling USADA is the reason for his last performance and difference in his physical appearance. Even Woodley when he got up on this scales made the suggestion by saying "some of us still look the same since USADA". The other possibility is simply the wars he's been involved with. There's only so much the human body can take, and it wasn't like Lawler was taking huge breaks between these wars either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Southworth Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 The change in Lawler’s physique is pretty consistent with someone getting off, or lowering the dosage, of what they were taking before. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise given how ripped and shredded he looked when he made his return to the UFC; when you are looking way more jacked in your early 30s than you did at 18, at a time when your natural levels of testosterone are on the wane, it should raise red flags. It’s not just the drug testing that has affected fighters. The changes in the rules regarding IV usage has had an effect a well. Certain fighters, and it’s mainly the former amateur wrestlers, have had to alter the way they deal with making weight. They can’t make those drastic weight cuts anymore because they can’t use IV’s to get all that weight back between weigh-ins and fight time. Chris Weidman made mention of this in the run up to UFC 194, that the new rules regarding IV’s meant he now had to keep his walking around weight much lower. Johny Hendricks is another example. Once USADA made their changes, he looked like a completely different fighter, kept missing weight, and had to move up a weight class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 36 minutes ago, Noah Southworth said: The change in Lawler’s physique is pretty consistent with someone getting off, or lowering the dosage, of what they were taking before. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise given how ripped and shredded he looked when he made his return to the UFC; when you are looking way more jacked in your early 30s than you did at 18, at a time when your natural levels of testosterone are on the wane, it should raise red flags.  remember though Noah, Lawler came back to the UFC as a welterweight, the entire time he was out of the UFC was spent at 185lb, Lawler was always gonna look a lot leaner than he did before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Southworth Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 1 minute ago, Egg Shen said: remember though Noah, Lawler came back to the UFC as a welterweight, the entire time he was out of the UFC was spent at 185lb, Lawler was always gonna look a lot leaner than he did before. There's looking lean and trim, and then there's looking jacked and ripped. Lawler was jacked, ripped, muscular, and had veins that made his torso look like a road map. Call me cynical, but I don't think he looked like that because he cut back on the weetabix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 I've always held the opinion that, back in the day, it's best to assume mostly everyone that was better than the rest was on something - even those that were middling were probably juiced up on something. I love Lawler too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 8 minutes ago, Noah Southworth said: There's looking lean and trim, and then there's looking jacked and ripped. Lawler was jacked, ripped, muscular, and had veins that made his torso look like a road map. Call me cynical, but I don't think he looked like that because he cut back on the weetabix. was he really that ripped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Southworth Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 1 minute ago, Egg Shen said: was he really that ripped? Â Exhibit B You tell me, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 I think we should just allow a Lawler exemption. Out of interest, anyone got pictures of him all flexed and pumped for Condit/Woodley? IIRC, his physique wasn't Vitor different. It will be interesting to see how he looks come the Cerrone fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 9 minutes ago, Noah Southworth said: Â Exhibit B You tell me, Not saying you're wrong, but a picture where he isn't flexing would be better proof. I'm just minded if the time people made PED claims about Aldo based on a comparison between a picture of him stood at rest in the cage, and another of him flexing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Southworth Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 1 minute ago, Carbomb said: Not saying you're wrong, but a picture where he isn't flexing would be better proof. I'm just minded if the time people made PED claims about Aldo based on a comparison between a picture of him stood at rest in the cage, and another of him flexing. He isn't doing much flexing in the second picture. As I said before, Lawler's physique went through the kind of changes that raise red flags. The same kind of changes, on a slightly less jacked scale, that Vitor Belfort’s body went through. And nobody had trouble throwing PED claims Belfort's way. I don't know why Lawler gets the benefit of the doubt that Belfort never enjoyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 For me, there was always that question, because he'd gone from being an upper midcarder who'd declined and left, to becoming an absolute killer who not only stayed relevant but also went on to become champion, fighting wars that would have normally ended careers by now. With that in mind, I guess I never asked anything more because I figured he must have been tested and never flagged. I also felt exactly the same way about Rafael Dos Anjos when he became champion via butchery of Anthony Pettis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members lambyUK Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 13 minutes ago, Noah Southworth said: He isn't doing much flexing in the second picture. As I said before, Lawler's physique went through the kind of changes that raise red flags. The same kind of changes, on a slightly less jacked scale, that Vitor Belfort’s body went through. And nobody had trouble throwing PED claims Belfort's way. I don't know why Lawler gets the benefit of the doubt that Belfort never enjoyed. I don't really agree with that one Noah. I do lean more on your side that I believe Lawler had been taking something in order for him to get down from 185llbs to 170llbs, but it wasn't Belfort levels of change. He certainly hasn't gone to Dad Bod that Belfort has. This was Lawler in the weigh in's for Woodley:-  Whilst there is a distinct difference from his earlier 170 fights, he wasn't anywhere near the flabby mess that Vitor became. Furthermore, the reason why Vitor had it harder than Lawler is basically due Vitor having prior history with a failed test. Belfort was also openly abusing TRT, and using something that he didn't need to use. Yes, he became the poster boy of TRT, which is unfair in the grand scheme of that whole era, you can't possibly tar Lawler with the same brush as Belfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 17 minutes ago, Noah Southworth said: He isn't doing much flexing in the second picture. Noah, are you drunk? he's just won a fight via KO, his adrenaline is pumping and he's about as intense as he could possibly be, you won't get more flexed than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted June 13, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted June 13, 2017 13 minutes ago, Carbomb said: For me, there was always that question, because he'd gone from being an upper midcarder who'd declined and left, to becoming an absolute killer who not only stayed relevant but also went on to become champion again i have to disagree. It was more Lawler finally started fighting in the weight class he should have been fighting in the entire time, not to mention the fact that he returned to the big show, his motivation and drive probably hit new levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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