UFC 276: Bryan Barberena Excited For Lawler Fight, Recalls Meeting Him Before MMA Career Began

Las Vegas, NV – UFC welterweight Bryan Barberena continues his “legends” tour as he gets a second straight name when he faces Robbie Lawler at UFC 276 on Saturday night.

“Doesn’t get much better than this. This is everything I wanted. The other one was a dream fight this is THE dream fight. This is the #1 slot fight that I wanted so it’s right there. It’s huge,” Barberena told Cageside Press among other media on Wednesday.

Barberena (17-8) is coming off a split-decision win over Matt Brown in March at the UFC Columbus.

“For me it solidifies exactly what I believed it was going to be and what I wanted it to be. I think this fight is going to do the same,” Barberena said.

A fight against “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler usually means there’s a very good chance of blood and mayhem.

“I’m going to get hit. He’s going to hit me probably going to be as hard as he can and that’s awesome. I love it. He’s probably going to try and take my head off and I love that too because I’m going to try and take his head off and give it right back just as hard if not harder,” said Barberena.

“I’m going to go out there and put on a performance. That’s my goal for this fight put on a performance. Put a real stamp on it. If not, it’s definitely going to be fight of the night. You can count on my end I’m going to come on and bring it, and I’m pretty positive he’s going to bring it.”

With such a stacked card for Saturday it’s tough to guarantee a fight of the night performance.

“This fight card is stacked, but there’s something about me and him that is a little different than these other fights. I think you can expect a crazy, violent, exciting fight, and we’ll see,” said Bam-Bam.

This will not be the first time Barberena and Lawler have crossed paths. Kind of.

“It’s a meant-to-be moment. It’s full circle. It’s crazy how it all lined up and it’s meant to be. I met Robbie at international fight week a couple months before my very first amateur fight. So when I met him he asked if I fought. It was me, my dad and my wife. I was like ‘I’m about to have my first fight.’ Nice guy I was a fan then too,” Barberena recalled.

“For us to get matched up is huge because I’ve always been a fan of how he fights and everything, but also the fact that it’s international fight week. It’s pretty crazy.”

Watch the full UFC 276 media day appearance by Bryan Barberena above. Barberena takes on Robbie Lawer on the main card of UFC 276. The event takes place this Saturday, July 2, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.