MMA Fighter of the Year and other superlatives

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

Jeff Wagenheim | Dec 27, 2013

MMA Fighter of the Year and other superlatives /

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

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.

Published Dec 27, 2013

JEFF WAGENHEIM

Paradoxically, Jeff Wagenheim considers himself a pacifist (except when driving in traffic) but nonetheless writes about mixed martial arts, the world's most combative sport (other than driving in traffic). As a veteran of three decades in magazines and newspapers, he's a bit grayer than most who attend UFC fights, even along press row. (A fan watching an MMA media panel show recently referred to him as "that crazy hippie uncle," to which Jeff responds, "Groovy, man!") Wagenheim also has tackled pro football for SI.com, and writes about sports and the arts for The Boston Globe. When he's not on the road chasing the UFC, Jeff spends Sunday afternoons spinning Sleepy LaBeef and Boozoo Chavis records for a popular (but not pop) radio show in western Massachusetts.