MMA Fighter of the Year and other superlatives

Demetrious Johnson (left), Alexander Gustafsson and Anderson Silva were in the spotlight in 2013.

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When Lawler returned to the UFC early this year, he stumbled in the door weighed down by a 3-5 stretch going back to mid-2009. At 31, he was too young to be over the hill, but he wasn't exactly living up to the nickname "Ruthless Robbie." Now he is. Lawler won three times in 2013, twice by knockout. And with Georges St-Pierre having vacated the welterweight championship, Robbie was chosen by the UFC to fight Johny Hendricks for the belt in March. That's quite a reversal of misfortune.