Corey Anderson gets nod over Tom Lawlor for third straight win
It wasn't the most exciting fight after three rounds, but Corey Anderson did enough to get a unanimous decision victory over Tom Lawlor for his third straight win inside the Octagon.
The fight drew a lot of ire from the Las Vegas crowd with Anderson and Lawlor largely circling each other from the outside for the biggest part of 15 minutes.
At the start of the contest, Lawlor showed no fear throwing hands with Anderson while putting together a nasty combination of punches from inside the clinch that appeared to rattle the former "Ultimate Fighter" winner.
Following the initial exchange, Anderson appeared to get his bearings back but Lawlor continued to stalk him across the Octagon, winging big heavy shots from the outside.
Anderson tried his best to toss out a long jab as the round continued, but Lawlor was just constantly out of reach and he couldn't find a home for his punches.
The second round didn't see much action from either fighter as Anderson and Lawlor threw a lot of punches without anything seriously damaging landing throughout the five minute session.
With a close fight through 10 minutes of action, Anderosn looked to get ahead on the judges' scorecards with a quick takedown that slammed Lawlor on the ground to kick off the final round.
Anderson managed to stay in control on the ground throughout almost the entire round before the fighters were eventually put back on the feet with less than a minute to go.
Time ran out before much else could happen as the judges then rendered a decision that gave Anderson the unanimous decision victory -- 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Anderson gets his third win in a row as he takes another step forward in the light heavyweight division as he looks to tackle the top 10 in 2016.
