The Hit List: The Top 5 moments from UFC Fight Night: Lawler vs. Brown
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The third FOX card of the year had serious potential on paper and it delivered in a big way.
The main event between Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown didn't end in a knockout as many thought, but no one at SAP Center was upset with a five-round war. Anthony Johnson and Dennis Bermudez both looked like serious threats and Bobby Green took home an emotional victory.
It was a fun night in the Bay Area. We'll somehow try to narrow the top moments down to five.
'Ruthless' resurgence continues
Two years ago, Robbie Lawler was basically written off. And somewhat fairly. He was a 30-year-old, relatively one-dimensional striker who had lost five of eight and was coming off a defeat to unheralded Lorenz Larkin. Lawler didn’t belong at middleweight and was treading water in Strikeforce. Now, just 24 months later, Lawler is about to get his second title shot in the span of a year.
Lawler beat Matt Brown decisively Saturday night by unanimous decision. He wasn't dominant by any means, but there wasn’t anyone out there who didn't think he was the better fighter. There's no doubt Lawler is the No. 1 contender at welterweight and he'll get a rematch against Johny Hendricks, perhaps in January when Hendricks is fully recovered from biceps surgery.
Much of Lawler's success has come from a new mindset. He said in the post-fight press conference that a year and a half ago, when he returned to the UFC, he made it a point to be more professional. That meant the way he dealt with the media and everything else in his life when he was not in the cage. A move to American Top Team also helped him immensely. That close loss to Hendricks in March aside, Lawler might be the best welterweight in the world right now.
Robbie Lawler won a five-round unanimous decision over Matt Brown.
Yet another contender for Jones?
Anthony Johnson tattooed Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in just 44 seconds.
Jon Jones' hands are full right now. He has to fight rival Daniel Cormier at UFC 178 on Sept. 27 and Alexander Gustafsson, recovering from a torn meniscus, is still waiting in the wings. Depending on how long it takes Gustafsson to get back, though, Anthony Johnson might be the next guy after Cormier to get a title shot at 205. That's how good "Rumble" has been in two fights since returning to the UFC.
On Saturday night, Johnson decimated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by TKO in just 44 seconds. Johnson was a heavy favorite, but Nogueira had only been finished once before, five years ago in PRIDE against Sokoudjou. It's no small feat to stop Nogueira, and Johnson made it look easy. With his power, defensive wrestling and sheer athleticism, "Rumble" is a tough out for anyone at light heavyweight — maybe even Jones.
Don't stop 'The Menace'
Dennis Bermudez beat Clay Guida by choking him out in the second round.
Clay Guida has been beaten many times, but he is not often dominated and is rarely manhandled. Dennis Bermudez did all three of those things Saturday night. He almost finished Guida in the first round with a rear-naked choke and then actually did that in the second. Bermudez made Guida, the No. 7-ranked UFC featherweight contender, look rather ordinary. The performance should solidify Bermudez, who came in at No. 12, as a top-10 fighter in the division.
Bermudez has now won seven in a row in one of the toughest weight classes in the UFC. He's only 27 years old. There's no doubting his potential. "The Menace" has a pretty good chance at earning a title shot before the end of 2015 and, at this point, it seems warranted. With his combination of power wrestling and solid standup, there aren't many guys who can beat him at 145. Guida didn’t even come close.
'King' on a split
Bobby Green squeaked out a split-decision win over Josh Thomson.
Regardless of who you thought won the fight, what a moment it was for Bobby Green to hear his name called as the winner by Bruce Buffer. In the last two months, Green's brother was murdered, he was rehabbing a badly broken ankle and just welcomed a newborn baby into the world. Green was sleeping only one or two hours per night ahead of taking this short-notice fight against Josh Thomson.
Green won a split decision and many felt Thomson should have won. Maybe so, but it was hardly highway robbery. Green, amid all the antics, was hard to hit, outstruck Thomson and opened up a cut on Thomson's eye. Let's not forget that Thomson came in ranked No. 3 among UFC lightweight contenders, while Green was No. 13. "King" deserves a top-10 ranking now.
Shopping at the maul
This is pretty much exactly how the Patrick Cummins-Kyle Kingsbury fight went.
There weren't many barista jokes Saturday night. Patrick Cummins, a former coffee shop worker, completely dominated Kyle Kingsbury, putting the veteran on his back over and over again in Kingsbury's hometown of San Jose. The only thing Cummins didn't do was finish him. Judge Marcos Rosales even scored the fight 30-24 -- meaning he believed Cummins won every round 10-8. UFC president Dana White joked afterward that you won't see that again unless someone dies.
Kingsbury had not fought in two years and maybe he should not have come out of retirement. But that doesn't make Cummins' victory any less impressive. "Durkin" is really big for 205, very powerful and pretty athletic, too. His wrestling is top notch. The only thing he really needs to sharpen is some pretty raw striking and he could be a problem in the light heavyweight division. Too bad he's already 33 years old.
