Have you ever heard the phrase “give the people what they want”?
That should be the name of this event. UFC on FOX: Giving the People What They Want.
When Matt Brown last fought, a star was born. He had plenty of knockouts and notoriety before then, but when he recovered from early adversity to smear Erick Silva in his hometown of Cincinnati, things went to another level.
All Robbie Lawler has done in 2014 is come up just short in a scintillating bid for Johny Hendricks’ welterweight title, then hammer fellow hard hitter Jake Ellenberger in his first bout after.
Between them, these two men are 9-1 in their last 10. Number of knockouts in those 10? Eight.
We can wax on about how much we appreciate a great guard pass or dominant positional wrestling, but everyone loves a good knockout. That’s in the guts of any combat-sports fan. And take it to the bank: If Matt Brown vs. Robbie Lawler doesn’t end in a knockout in this main event, it will be the kind of bell-to-bell slugfest that only comes along about once a year. And it’s on free TV to boot.
The main event is outshining the rest of this card and that’s understandable, given not only the tastiness of that matchup but the serious lack of stakes or sizzle that characterizes much of the rest of the card. But there are still gems to be unearthed. The co-main event pits the resurging Anthony Johnson against decidedly de-surging Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The mega-talented Josh Thomson returns to the Octagon for the first time since his loss to ex-champ Benson Henderson in January.
Here’s a full guide to the action and the story lines to watch, including information capsules, predictions and viewing coordinates for each and every contest. Time to give the people what they want.