Robbie Lawler doesn't really rule out MMA return one month after retiring

Though he doesn't completely discount the possibility, Robbie Lawler doesn't believe a return to MMA is particularly possible.

In the final fight of his brilliant career, Lawler stopped Niko Price in just 38 seconds at UFC 290, pulling off one of the greatest retirements in MMA history. Fans questioned whether "Ruthless" was truly going to hang up the gloves after the victory since Lawler said he felt great the entire fight week. However, Lawler reaffirmed on The MMA Hour on Wednesday that while he could continue fighting, he's choosing not to.

“I definitely have more left in me, it’s just one of those things where you figure it out. I just can’t do as much as I used to is the thing,” Lawler said. “I can’t train the way I want to train. I’m like the guy who likes to do extra, and now it’s like, hey, just relax, you know how to fight so let’s just get you to the fight. So that’s the hard part for me, because I like to work, I like to workout, I like to lift, I like to do all these things and I have this checklist and the checklist is too much.

Lawler, who is 41 years old, is one of the most well-liked and successful competitors in UFC history. Lawler, a former welterweight champion, was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame after his battle with Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 and earned battle of the Year three times. Lawler has been a professional since he was 19 years old, and despite the fact that many seasoned fighters find it challenging to break free of that type of identity paradigm, Lawler claims he doesn't think the siren call of the cage would ever woo him back.

“I’m a fighter, I’m never going to say [never],” Lawler said. “But I’m in a good place. You never know, but I feel good. I feel good and I’m not training. I’m lifting, I’m running, I’m keeping myself in shape, but I don’t see it happening.

Lawler may no longer compete, but he's still very much involved in mixed martial arts. Lawler, who has 22 years of experience in the sport, says he wants to spend the next five years teaching the next generation.