This Saturday in San Jose, California, a highly anticipated fight finally takes place in the welterweight division between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown. Brown is on a highly impressive win streak and the best run of his career, while Lawler …
This Saturday in San Jose, California, a highly anticipated fight finally takes place in the welterweight division between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown. Brown is on a highly impressive win streak and the best run of his career, while Lawler is itching to get another shot at the title and Johny Hendricks.
The fans have been excited for this fight since the moment it was announced, because these two are going to go out and have an absolute war.
The winner of this fight has been confirmed to get the next title shot, and while some people fight cautiously with a title shot on the line, don’t expect that from these two.
Let’s check out who has the edge going into their fight on Fox.
Matt Brown once authored a 12-11 record as a professional mixed martial artist, leaving many questioning whether or not The Immortal had a place among the sport’s elite.
He’s since capped off a seven-fight winning streak and thrust hi…
Matt Brown once authored a 12-11 record as a professional mixed martial artist, leaving many questioning whether or not The Immortal had a place among the sport’s elite.
He’s since capped off a seven-fight winning streak and thrust himself into the title conversation, silencing most of his doubters.
“Cincinnati, Ohio, who do you want to see fight for the title next?” Brown asked the fans in attendance after his comeback performance against Erick Silva at UFC Fight Night in May.
Though few men inside the Octagon’s welterweight division can attest to the same type of streak Brown’s held since 2012, The Immortal’s got one last task before he can get to the champ—his name is Robbie Lawler.
Lawler’s victory streak is nowhere near as impressive as Brown’s currently is, but that hasn’t stopped many from wondering if the latter fighter is in over his head as he prepares for the UFC’s No. 1-ranked welterweight.
Yes, Brown’s been victorious in his past seven—with six of those wins coming by way of knockout or TKO—but those numbers alone shouldn’t grant Brown an automatic nod against the former welterweight title contender.
Dust off your magnifying glass, inspect Brown’s last five fights a little closer and see for yourself why his winning streak hasn’t already catapulted him into any title fights.
It’s not his fault, though—the UFC just hasn’t given many opportunities against the division’s elite. He had his chance against the promotion’s No. 3-ranked contender, Carlos Condit, back in December before falling victim to two herniated discs in his back before the bout.
He’ll get just what he needs to validate his winning streak this Saturday: a bout with a top-10 opponent.
That top-10 opponent, while not undefeated in his last five bouts, has faced much, much stronger competition.
Brown’s most recent victory was a few strikes away from being a loss, while Lawler’s most recent loss was a late takedown away from being a win.
It’s worth noting that Brown’s near-loss stemmed from a body kick from an orthodox fighter that all but folded him like a lawn chair. Silva couldn’t capitalize and let a recovered Brown put a shiny bow on what Jon Anik called “one of the greatest performances in UFC history.”
He’ll naturally be at greater risk of facing that same type of strike against a southpaw Lawler on Saturday, and you can bet Ruthless will be ruthless if he sees Brown in any sort of visible distress during their No. 1 contender bout at UFC on Fox 12.
Ruthless and The Immortal have their eyes set on getting inside the Octagon with Johny Hendricks. A win against a resurgent Brown is all Lawler needs before he’s able to punch his ticket back to the dance. A win against a proven Lawler is the last piece of the puzzle before Brown can effectively silence all of the critics.
Whether or not you think Brown is in over his head is irrelevant—few excuses should prevent you from tuning in to this guaranteed barnburner.
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
UFC welterweight Robbie Lawler will face Matt Brown in the main event of UFC on Fox 12 next week in San Jose.
It’s one of the biggest fights of Lawler’s career. If he scores a win over the surging Brown, he’ll put himself back into a title rematch with…
UFC welterweight Robbie Lawler will face Matt Brown in the main event of UFC on Fox 12 next week in San Jose.
It’s one of the biggest fights of Lawler‘s career. If he scores a win over the surging Brown, he’ll put himself back into a title rematch with welterweight champion Johny Hendricks.
Needless to say, Lawler has a lot on the line in this fight. But over the past few months, he has spent his free time keeping the employees in Bleacher Report’s San Francisco office in line. Lawler served as B/R’s office enforcer; let’s just say you don’t want to act like a fool when “Ruthless” is around!
Check out the video above, and always remember: Get back to work!
Robbie Lawler faces Matt Brown at UFC on FOX 12 next Saturday night, July 26.
Father Time hates MMA fighters.
He hates almost all athletes, really (except NFL kickers), but he’s especially unkind to the select few who choose to fashion their careers inside a steel cage.
In basketball, when a player ages and slows down, he …
He hates almost all athletes, really (except NFL kickers), but he’s especially unkind to the select few who choose to fashion their careers inside a steel cage.
In basketball, when a player ages and slows down, he starts missing routine layups. He starts getting burned on defense. He can’t finish that breakaway dunk with the same pizzazz.
He turns into 2014 NBA Finals Dwyane Wade.
In MMA, however, an aging fighter’s shortcomings become painfully obvious once the door locks and the referee claps his hands.
The result is not an embarrassing, shrug-it-off-and-chuckle missed field goal; it’s unconsciousness. It’s humiliation. It’s frantic taps for help.
For the vast majority of fighters, age slows them down and beats them into retirement. It’s not pretty or glamorous.
That’s the fight game.
Other fighters, however, flip Father Time the bird and tell him to stay away for now. There’s work to be done, and, at 30 years old (and up), they’re just hitting their stride.
To honor those who defeated Mr. Time and put on their best performances after the age of 30, I present the following slideshow.
Rick Story knows the value of wins and losses within the UFC’s Octagon. On Wednesday, the fighter known as “The Horror” will step into the cage for fight No. 16. He’s an athlete that’s put together a string of impressive performan…
Rick Story knows the value of wins and losses within the UFC’s Octagon. On Wednesday, the fighter known as “The Horror” will step into the cage for fight No. 16. He’s an athlete that’s put together a string of impressive performances but has recently looked very subpar.
Coming into his fight with Leonardo MafraTeixeira, it’s imperative the one-time welterweight contender puts on a display that leaves the fans and UFC matchmakers clamoring to see more of “The Horror” in action.
Story will walk into the Octagon with a 9-5 record that dates back to his promotional debut at UFC 99 in 2009. He bounced back from a decision loss to John Hathaway to go on a run that quickly grabbed the attention of the mixed martial arts community. Two years later, Story’s six-fight win streak had him on the cusp of a title eliminator contest.
That would be until Charlie Brenneman stepped into the picture and pulled out what could have been the upset of 2011 on extreme short notice. That night was a major turning point in Story’s career, as he’d struggled to gain any traction within the welterweight division.
In the years that have followed his defeat at UFC Life 4, Story has exchanged wins for losses. In each outing, it’s very difficult to predict exactly which Rick Story is going to show up. Three of the four losses that he’s suffered were split decisions in which he performed well, but not good enough to get the nod at the end of the night. What’s interesting is that Story has shown flashes of greatness in competition.
Current UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks is well aware of what Rick can do, as he’s one of only two UFC fighters to defeat the titleholder. This coming fight against Teixeira is vital to Story’s career because anything less can see him jettisoned from the organization.
“He may be in need of a win in the worst way,” wrote Michael Drahota of MMA Mania. “The talent is there; he just has to put forth a decisive performance in the Octagon.”
The 170-pound division is wide open for Story to put together a run that can relaunch his career. As Hendricks sits on the shelf, the UFC is still unsure of how the group of contenders will shake out. Robbie Lawler versus Matt Brown at UFC on Fox 12 is a No. 1 contender’s bout, but after that, the division is wide open. If Story puts on an impressive win this Wednesday, he can start the hype train running in the right direction.
Rick Story is pressed to put together a run at UFC Fight Night. He was once known as a capable contender within the welterweight division, but his recent slump can see him sent from the promotion with another loss. He will need a strong performance to bring an end to the horror that has seen him consistently trade wins and losses.
Schadenfreude is the German word for taking pleasure from the misfortune of others, and aside from scheisseporn it’s pretty much the best word to come out of Germany untranslated. The German fußball team gave us some textbook definition schadenfreude action when they crushed Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup earlier this week, and everyone on the internet delighted in watching the host nation weep like little bitches during the meltdown.
Evil pleasure aside, there’s something fascinating about seeing another human wallowing in sadness. And outside of a choking team’s arena or third world country, I’d argue there’s no better place to stare sadness in the face than at a UFC post-fight press conference.
While most of the defeated fighters on a card get to skip the conference and ruminate on their losses in private, the loser of the main event is expected to show up and answer sharp questions from our crack MMA media like “How do you feel right now?” and “What is next now that you’ve failed?”
The look on their faces as they struggle to answer will hit you right in the feels. Or trigger dat schadenfreude if you’re a dick. Since I am definitely a dick, allow me to be your sadness sommelier on this tour through the saddest sadfaces at UFC post-fight press conferences…
(“I am not impress wit my performance” – Photo by Esther Lin for MMAFighting)
Schadenfreude is the German word for taking pleasure from the misfortune of others, and aside from scheisseporn it’s pretty much the best word to come out of Germany untranslated. The German fußball team gave us some textbook definition schadenfreude action when they crushed Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup earlier this week, and everyone on the internet delighted in watching the host nation weep like little bitches during the meltdown.
Evil pleasure aside, there’s something fascinating about seeing another human wallowing in sadness. And outside of a choking team’s arena or third world country, I’d argue there’s no better place to stare sadness in the face than at a UFC post-fight press conference.
While most of the defeated fighters on a card get to skip the conference and ruminate on their losses in private, the loser of the main event is expected to show up and answer sharp questions from our crack MMA media like “How do you feel right now?” and “What is next now that you’ve failed?”
The look on their faces as they struggle to answer will hit you right in the feels. Or trigger dat schadenfreude if you’re a dick. Since I am definitely a dick, allow me to be your sadness sommelier on this tour through the saddest sadfaces at UFC post-fight press conferences…
After three failed runs at the lightweight title, Kenny dropped down to 145 for one last attempt at a UFC belt. Unfortunately he ran into the buzzsaw that was prime Jose Aldo and lost the fight 49-46 on all three judges’ scorecards. I’m pretty sure he would have shed a few tears if his body had the moisture to spare after cutting down to featherweight.
It seemed pretty damn obvious to everyone except BJ Penn that he was gonna get tool time’d by Frankie Edgar in their third fight. It wasn’t until the post-fight conference that the reality of his situation hit BJ in the face harder than anything Frankie threw in the cage. “I shouldn’t have come back.” Welcome to everyone’s conclusion from nine months ago, BJ.
Georges is the only winner to make it onto this list for the epic sadface he pulled after his ‘victory’ over Johny Hendricks. First off, you know a guy as OCD as GSP was aware he didn’t exactly perform to his typical flawless standard. Secondly, he not only had those ‘personal problems’ to deal with, his awkward out of the blue retirement in the cage went over about as well as a fart in church. That all led to St Pierre giving us a little glimpse of what things are like in his dark place.
For all the hype and accolades Lyoto got out of this fight, he knows the score: he’s 36 years old, and only managed to secure this title shot by default because the rest of the middleweight division turned out to be on steroids. Unless he’s willing to push his career into Randy Couture territory, we probably just witnessed his last kick at the title shot can.
Here’s a twofer that proves the only thing worse than choking and losing a title fight with two minutes remaining is choking and losing a title fight in the second round. Not pictured: the sad face Chael has now as he sits on his couch with his withered testicles in one hand and a lifetime prescription for TRT in the other.
