UFC on FOX 12 took place on Saturday from the SAP Center in San Jose, California and Robbie Lawler defeated Matt Brown by unanimous decision in a five round striking battle.
As advertised, the fight started with the fighters swinging away and Lawler was landing the more significant strikes in the opening minute. At the ninety second mark of the round, Brown would land a right hand that stunned Lawler, but he would be able to recover. Brown would end up scoring a takedown and looked for a d’arce choke. Lawler would defend the submission and get back to his feet.
They would clinch against the fence and Brown would land a few elbows. Lawler would come back with his own elbow and landed a flurry of punches. Brown would be able to get away and the fight would move into the second round. In the second round, they started with a fast pace, just like the first round and Brown looked very patient with his strikes. Brown would take the fight to the ground at the two minute mark, but Lawler would be able to get back to his feet. The remainder of the round would be on the feet with Brown landing the more significant strikes.
Brown looked to take the fight to the ground and Lawler would make him pay for looking for the takedown. He landed several strikes that would open up a cut and Lawler broke away. At this point, Lawler began to attack the body of Brown and this would set up other strikes for him. Lawler would end up landing a kick to the body that at first, appeared to be low. Referee John McCarthy would pause the fight but the replay showed that it was a legal strike. The fight would be restarted and they would battle on the feet until the end of the round.
At the start of the fourth, Lawler was able to get the fight to the ground. He would work his top game and Brown attempted to wall walk to get back to his feet. It appeared he was up, but Lawler would slam him back to the ground. However, Lawler would not keep it there as Brown got to his feet. The fight would move into the fifth round and they slugged it out at the start of the round. Brown would began to pour it on and after landing a right hand, Brown shook his hand. Lawler would end up landing his own flurry of punches and both guys would throw a spinning back fist that would miss.
The would battle until the final bell and Lawler (24-10, 1NC) would win by unanimous decision. He wil now get his rematch against current welterweight champion Johny Hendricks once the champion recovers from his injury.
Johnson makes statement with vicious knockout
The co-main event was a light heavyweight bout as Anthony Johnson made a huge statement as he scored a brutal knockout of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at the 44 second mark of the first round.
Johnson would be able to take control of the octagon and would land a series of punches against the fence. He would land a right uppercut that rocked Nogueira and would throw a couple of more punches before the referee came in to stop the fight.
Johnson (18-4) now has twelve career wins by knockout and this is his eighth straight win. The defeat snaps a two fight winning streak for Nogueira (21-6) and this is his second career knockout defeat.
Bermudez submits Guida to extend winning streak to seven
Ultimate Fighter alum Dennis Bermudez continued his winning streak on Saturday night as he defeated Clay Guida by submission in the second round.
As expected, the fight started with a high pace and Guida would connect with a significant right hook. Bermudez would look for a takedown, but the attempt would be unsuccessful. With the fight remaining on the feet, Bermudez stalked down Guida and ended up getting the fight to the ground.
Guida would work back to his feet after taking several short shots, including a knee as he broke away. Once again, Bermudez would close the distance and was able to get on the back of Guida. He went for a rear-naked choke but would be unable to get the finish and the fight moved into the second round.
The second round would open up just like the first round with a high pace and Guida would land a solid combination in the opening twenty seconds. They would briefly grapple against the cage before they moved back to the center of the octagon.
Guida would land a series of punches that stunned Bermudez, but Bermudez would be able to close the distance and get the fight to the ground. He would immediately get on the back of Guida and would finish the fight with a rear-naked choke submission.
Bermudez (14-3) has now won seven in a row and now has the longest current winning streak in the UFC featherweight division and this is his third career win by submission.
Green upsets Thomson, wins eighth straight
The opening bout of the main card was a lightweight bout as Bobby Green scored an upset as he defeated Josh Thomson by split decision.
The fight opened with the fighters exchanging strikes and anytime Thomson landed a strike, Green would talk to him. At the three minute mark of the round, Green would accidtally poke Thomson in the eye and the fight was stopped for a moment.
Thomson would be able to continue and they would continue their striking match until the final bell of the round sounded. As the second round started, Thomson would be the aggressor and the fighters continued to talk to each other throughout the round.
Green would be able to take control of the octagon and they continued to exchange strikes. Thomson would rush in and score a takedown in the final minute of the round, but Green would be able to get back to his feet with twenty seconds left in the round.
The fight would move into the third round and Thomson just missed a spinning back fist in the first thirty seconds of the round. Green would attempt a flying knee, but Thomson would catch it. However, he would be unable to get the fight to the ground and they continued to strike with each other.
After each fighter landed significant strikes, Green would take the fight to the ground but he would give up the position after Thomson landed several short strikes. They would remain on the feet until the final bell and the judges would decide the winner.
Two of the three judges scored the fight for Green (23-5) and he has now won eight in a row. Thomson (20-7, 1NC) has now dropped back to back fights for the first time in his career.
The complete UFC on FOX 12 results are below.
Main Card: (Fox)
Robbie Lawler def. Matt Brown via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-36, 48-47)
Anthony Johnson def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, :44
Dennis Bermudez def. Clay Guida via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:57
Bobby Green def. Josh Thomson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Preliminary Card: (Fox)
Jorge Masvidal def. Daron Cruickshank via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Patrick Cummins def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-24)
Tim Means def. Hernani Perpetuo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Brian Ortega def. Mike De La Torre via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:39
Preliminary Card: (Fight Pass)
Tiago Trator def. Akbarh Arreola via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Gilbert Burns def. Andreas Stahl via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Juliana Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Noad Lahat def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
