Company officials told ESPN on Tuesday that Robbie Lawler, a former UFC champion and fan favorite, has joined the board of directors of Xtreme One Entertainment, Inc. Lawler, who left the UFC in 2023, joins a number of other well-known people on the board, such as former WWE star Ettore "Big E" Ewen and Fox Sports reporter Jenny Taft. Xtreme Fighting Championships is a regional MMA promotion that is part of Xtreme One Entertainment, Inc. Its goal is to find new fighters for bigger shows like the UFC and PFL. Lawler told ESPN, "This is a way for me to stay involved in the sport and help young athletes get to the biggest shows." "I've been able to coach in the sport, and my goal is always to not only get a fighter to the UFC, but also to keep him there. The goal at XFC will be the same: to get these athletes ready for every part of a professional career. Chris Defendis, president of Xtreme One Entertainment, Inc., says that Lawler will help XFC athletes with their careers, branding, and the media. After the SEC found XFC's former CEO Steve Smith Jr. guilty of fraud in April, the publicly traded company ($XONI) and its fight league rebuilt some of their infrastructure. The company started a crowdfunding campaign last month to raise money to grow its business. "Robbie has been doing this sport longer than 99 percent of people who have ever fought, and he's seen it all," Defendis said. "We want to be a group that gives fighters real structure and advice, and we want Robbie to be in charge of that because he has more experience and credibility." The XFC wants to put on about 12 events in 2026. These will be split evenly between arena events and smaller "Young Guns" cards that show off new talent. It hasn't yet made any official plans for the year's broadcasts. "We want to send guys to the UFC who are ready to rock and roll," said Randel Aleman, COO of XFC. "We want them to already know what a real professional is before they get there." Some of these things may seem small, but it's why everyone wanted to draft Alabama players when Nick Saban was there. They knew they were getting a "pro ready" player. Lawler, who had a record of 30 wins and 16 losses, was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2025. At the age of 19, he started fighting professionally at the well-known Miletich Fighting Systems gym in Bettendorf, Iowa. In 2014, he became the UFC welterweight champion. His second fight with Rory MacDonald in July 2015 is considered one of the best fights in UFC history. It was added to the UFC Hall of Fame's Fight Wing in 2023.