Lawler tops Brown in five-round war
Published on Monday, 7/28/14, at 11:48 p.m. Eastern.
By Brian Edwards
‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler improved to 5-1 in his second tour of duty in the UFC thanks to Saturday’s unanimous-decision win over Matt Brown in the main event at UFC on FOX 12 in San Jose. Lawler hooked up his betting supporters as a -370 favorite. Gamblers backing Lawler to win by five-round UD cashed a +705 ticket at 5Dimes (paid $705 on $100 wagers).
Lawler’s victory (49-46 twice, 48-47) will earn him a rematch with Johny Hendricks for the 170-pound strap later this year or early next year. Hendricks won a razor-thin decision over Lawler earlier this year at UFC 171 to win the belt.
BE Sports scored the fight 49-46 for Lawler, giving Brown only the second round. ‘The Immortal’ probably would’ve won the fifth and final stanza on my card, but he clearly injured his right hand after landing a big punch halfway through the round. From there, he was forced to mostly use elbows and kicks.
Lawler-Brown won Fight of the Night honors.
Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson took home an extra 50 large with a Performance Bonus after destroying Little Nog in just 44 seconds by vicious KO. Nogueira, who might have been sent into retirement, didn’t land a single strike. Johnson finished the bout with a serious of violent uppercuts that forced referee Herb Dean to intervene.
Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson only needed 44 seconds to KO Little Nog at UFC on Fox 12.
Look for Johnson to get the winner of Ryan Bader vs. Ovince St. Preux in his next trip into the Octagon. He won his eighth consecutive fight as an enormous -650 favorite.
Dennis Bermudez won his seventh straight fight by mauling Clay Guida in dominant fashion. ‘The Menace’ submitted ‘The Carpenter’ in the second round. Bermudez won as a -190 ‘chalk,’ while ‘under’ backers (2.5 rounds) cashed a nice ticket in the +260 range.
Bobby ‘King’ Green pulled a major upset in the opener of the main card, beating third-ranked lightweight Josh Thomson by split decision. Green, whose brother was murdered and three other family members were injured in a drive-by shooting less than two months ago, took the fight in place of an injured Michael Johnson on just 12 days of notice. Green won as an underdog in the +300 range.
Other winners included Jorge Masvidal over Daron Cruichshank, Patrick Cummins over Kyle Kingsbury and Brian Ortega over Michael De La Torre.
**Octagon Extras**
–At the post-fight presser Saturday night, Dana White explained that negotiations with Gina Carano “are complicated.” If the UFC and Carano can get a deal done, she’s expected to face Ronda Rousey in December.
Dana White is still working on ‘complicated’ contract talks with Gina Carano.
–Dan Hardy is hoping to make a comeback and wants to send Diego Sanchez into retirement. ‘The Outlaw’ hasn’t fought since 2012 due to a heart condition.
–What’s next for Matt Brown? Many seem to think that Hector Lombard is a possibility. Carlos Condit could also be a future foe, but ‘The Natural Born Killer’ isn’t expected to be recovered from an ACL tear until early in 2015.
–The next card on ‘Big’ FOX will take place in Phoenix on Dec. 13. If Bader can beat OSP, perhaps he could take on ‘Rumble’ Johnson in the main event. I imply this because Bader is a local guy who was a standout wrestler at Arizona St. To be clear, however, I think OSP is going to beat Bader as a short underdog (+135ish at some books). Benson Henderson, who like Bader also fights in August, is also a Phoenix guy who is likely to be a part of this card.
–The UFC 178 card in Las Vegas on Sept. 27 is going to be a monster. There are already odds for the main event and a crucial and highly-anticipated 145-pound scrap.
–BetOnline has made Hendricks the early favorite over Lawler.
