Former Bellator and ONE Championship Ben Askren believes the UFC wants him to lose in his octagon debut.

Askren (18-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has called former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler (28-12 MMA, 13-6 UFC) the soldier on that mission, not that he faults his upcoming opponent for doing his job at UFC 235, or the promotion for setting it up that way.

Lawler might be the enforcer when they meet on March 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but he doesn’t consider himself one.

“I don’t think and play those games,” he told MMAjunkie Radio in advance of his pay-per-view return (go to the 28-minute mark in the video above). “I don’t really care. I don’t spend much time on he said she said, what you think about why and how.

“Really, I’ve just been trying to grind and get better every day and spend time with my family. I don’t really dabble into why Dana did this, why Askren said that. But I do see stuff that Askren says that I think is funny. Other than that, I don’t pay much attention to it.”

Lawler has been out of action for over one year as he dealt with multiple knee injuries suffered in a fight against ex-champ Rafael dos Anjos in December 2017. Although he felt mentally ready to get back into the octagon, his body kept him from signing a bout contract.

Now, it’s a different story.

“I feel damn frickin’ good right now,” Lawler said. :I don’t know when it clicked that, holy (expletive), I’m a beast again. But I am.

“But that was always the goal – just get back to work and everything will fall into place. I just believed in myself that it was going to happen at the right time. I can’t wait to show everybody how hard I’ve been working.”

One of the most prolific knockout artists in the sport, Lawler is bound to give his surgically repaired knees a test as he attempts to avoid the smothering wrestling Askren brings to the cage. The extended layoff is inconvenient for his cage rust, but he professes to be ready for the upcoming challenge.

Unlike his first UFC stint, Lawler said he’s enjoying himself a lot more in the promotion as he ages. Before, he used to avoid people and interviews surrounding his fights. Then he went and fought his way across a variety of different promotions and found himself missing the UFC. So when he returned for a second tenure, he decided to start appreciating the ride.

“No jitters,” he said. “Just a different mindset.”

Although Lawler still favors the “simple life” of a fighter who doesn’t concern himself with the storylines that accompany fights, he’s eager to step into the limelight against a highly touted competitor looking to spoil his return.

For more on UFC 235, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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