It's been more than two years since UFC fans last saw Tom Lawlor.
It was April 6, 2013 when Lawlor tore his MCL, ACL, and meniscus in a winning effort against Michael Kuiper. On Saturday, "Filthy Tom" makes his return, squaring off against Gian Villante at UFC on FOX 16.
A lot has changed in those two years. For one, Lawlor is a bit heavier these days; he'll be facing off against Villante at light heavyweight, after a career spent fighting at middleweight.
But those aren't the changes Lawlor is concerned with.
"It's just almost like [a] completely different regime from 2013 until now," Lawlor said to Yahoo Sports. "[Former UFC coordinator Burt Watson is] gone – different front office people. The way things are handled in the office is different. I've had some issues getting stuff with medicals done that I didn't have before."
And of course there is the issue of the Reebok sponsorship.
"With the whole Reebok thing, honestly, it's just a different UFC than it was before," he said. "I feel like even a lot of the fighters are on edge. It's just not as friendly of an environment."
Lawlor arrived for the UFC on FOX card in Chicago earlier in the week and he met with Reebok and UFC personnel separately. He voiced his concerns with Reebok in relation to wanting more input on his UFC-branded apparel, and he was told by the UFC that he could raise any questions he may have with Reebok directly.
After being a rather outspoken critic of the UFC-Reebok marriage early on, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Lawlor had more than a few questions for the UFC team in Chicago.
"I actually got into it a little bit with the people here when I got here," he admitted. "They asked if I had any questions, and I had a lot of questions. So, when I asked the questions, they didn't like the questions. And I didn't like their answers.
Apparently Lawlor asked about walking out while wearing another fighter's "Fight Kit." He mentioned Conor McGregor's kit as a potential candidate.
It's important to understand that in a Reebok-UFC world, setting yourself apart from the pack is a difficult undertaking. Sure, exciting fights help, but fighters like Lawlor aren't exactly Anderson Silva.
Lawlor is known for being one of MMA's larger personalities. His early walkouts in the UFC sometimes paid homage to legends of the sport and helped him stand out from other mid-card fighters.
The McGregor Fight Kit question was surely in reference to some bigger, pre-planned moment. It's his attempt to get more eyeballs.
What he got in return was: No, absolutely not. Why would you want to do that? Who would want to do that?
"If there's one thing I'm known for in the sport, it's [his walkouts]. So, you're taking that away from me, and you're basically insulting me in the process."
LINK to full story: 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor: It's just a different UFC than it was before | Cagewriter - Yahoo Sports
