Robbie Lawler is set to put the welterweight championship on the line in a hyped clash against Carlos Condit at UFC 195 on Saturday night. While it may not turn into a technical masterpiece, there should be no shortage of action or intensity.
Lawler is coming off his first title defense, which was a brawl with Rory MacDonald that lasted into the fifth round. If Saturday’s battle with Condit comes anywhere close to the same level, it should be a highly entertaining finish to the card.
Let’s check out all of the important viewing information for the latest showcase. That’s followed by the weigh-in details and a main event preview for what should be a terrific start to 2016 for UFC.
UFC 195 Details
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Jan. 2, at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: PPV
Live Stream: UFC TV
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Weigh-In Information
Preview and Comments
Lawler and Condit are fighters who don’t mind getting caught up in a slugfest. In fact, they tend to thrive in chaotic situations and only become fiercer when they are challenged aggressively. That creates a recipe for a memorable encounter Saturday night.
The challenger admitted leading up to the fight that he’s still a little bit rough around the edges but believes that’s actually helped his popularity among the fans, as noted by Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
“The consensus I’m getting is that this fight is going to be an amazing display of mixed martial arts ability—and violence,” Condit said. “I feel like that’s one of the reasons I, personally, have a fan following. I’m not super polished. Things don’t always go my way in the cage. But no matter what, I’m trying to finish.”
On the flip side, after the fight with MacDonald, Lawler fully understands how much damage can come from trying to use such a high-risk, high-reward style. He’s aiming for a quicker resolution as he attempts to defend for the second time, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.
“You don’t want to have to showcase your warrior spirit or how much heart you have in [every] fight,” Lawler said. “You want to go out there and you want to be sharp and you want to execute your game plan and…get it done fast. Every fighter wants to…take the least amount of damage possible.”
Ultimately, when you have fighters with the ability to finish the fight in the blink of an eye, it creates a situation where a first-round result wouldn’t be a surprise. But most fans are probably hoping for a little more action after Conor McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds in the last marquee bout.
Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics provided numbers to further illustrate why hopes for this matchup are so high:
Based on his comments, it’s clear Lawler will attempt to set the pace early. How Condit is able to defend those early attacks, while also trying to counter with some significant strikes of his own, should be telling about how the fight will go.
Nick Baldwin of BloodyElbow.com is among those who has high expectations:
While it’s impossible to know what the next 12 months will hold, there’s a good chance Lawler and Condit are going to set a high bar in the Fight of the Year conversation just two days in.
All told, this is a toss-up fight in every sense of the term. You could argue the champion holds a slight advantage because he went through a similar bout last time out and managed to survive, but the edge either way is minimal.
That’s great news for anybody without a rooting interest. Expect plenty of fury and at least a couple of moments that find their way onto the year-end highlight reel, regardless of who emerges with the belt.
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