UFC on FOX 12 Preview
Sometimes the UFC can put on fights that are interesting but do not get anyone excited because they don’t know what to expect. Those fights are necessary for the continuation of the UFC in finding new contenders by putting them under pressure in televised events. Many times they can produce great fights unexpectedly and other times they can produce a card that has no big moments. That has tended to be the case for many of the televised events recently as the UFC has not been able to put on very exciting fights. With so many fights the talent pool has been depleted and the talent pool for the fights. It hasn’t left these fights with no excitement as the fights have been good but the excitement before the fights have been lacking. Then there are times when the UFC puts together a fight card that immediately gets every fan excited. That is what they have done for their return to FOX when they put on UFC on FOX 12 with a number of great fights and one that has already seen some predict it as the fight of the year. The matchup between Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler that will highlight the fight card as the main event is sure to be a barn burner. Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler are two fighters that fans loves because they don’t back down from any fight. Throughout their time at the UFC both fighters have been known to be bonus fighters who are always up for fight bonuses. They have also taken that attitude to become two of the best welterweights in the UFC only one step away from a title shot. For Lawler winning this fight would mean the chance to return to the title shot after losing his last fight to Johnny Hendricks for the vacate title. Lawler had worked his way to the title with a long road that saw him look like a top prospect in the early 2000s only to leave the UFC. Since returning to the UFC he has become one of the top fighters in the UFC and proved that with a great fight against, now welterweight champion, Johnny Hendricks. Brown is on the other end of this path towards a title shot as he has been fighting outside of the main card for a long time since appearing on The Ultimate Fighter 7 in 2008. Since then he has been fighting trying to prove that he belongs at the top of the division. Only recently did he begin to get the recognition he always believed he deserved after putting up great wins. Now after years of making his way up the ladder he finally has a shot at the title if he can beat Robbie Lawler. There is no question about what the fight will entail as neither fight is very interested in taking the fight to the ground. Both fighters are well-rounded and able to fight anywhere but they much prefer to stay standing. Unlike many recent matchups these two are both strikers with very similar styles as they just simply like to be in wars. That is what everyone will be expecting as these two fighters face off as both will be fine with standing and trading throughout the entire fight. It is a definite favourite to win the Fight of the Night and could be one of the best fights of the year if both fighters come out and fight with reckless abandon that they are known for. It is a tough fight to predict as either one could earn a knockout with one punch and will be looking for that one punch to end the fight. It seems like it is Matt Brown’s time to take the next step as he will earn the KO in the fight of the Night after three rounds.
The rest of the card may not meet the same level of expectation as the main event but they can come fairly close. There are a number of top fighters that have been known to put on great fights in the main card in what could be one of the more entertaining cards in the last few months. One of these fights will be between a young up and comer against a legend. Anthony Johnson will represent the young star as he takes on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a fight that could put a big name on the young fighter’s career. Johnson has been on the path up the light heavyweight ladder a few years ago but would falter losing a number of fights ending up getting him cut from the promotion. After spending time in other promotions Johnson finally returned to the UFC in April and would beat Phil Davis via unanimous decision putting him back into the mix in the light heavyweight division. Now he takes on a big name in Nogueira who will return to the UFC after more than a year out of the octagon. The younger brother of former heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Rogerio has made his own legend and together with his brother are two of the most legendary fighters in MMA. He will return to the octagon with little chance to move up the ladder but with a chance to show that he does still have what it takes to fight in the UFC. Nogueira is clearly a BJJ specialist with some heavy hands and he will be looking to use his experience to take the fight to the ground and earn a submission. Although Johnson is a wrestler he prefers to stand and trade as he will try to keep the fight standing and use his speed to overwhelm the older Nogueira. It should be another good fight on a night with plenty of potential fight of the night candidates in a great night on FOX.
Fight Card
Main Event:
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler vs. Matt “The Immortal” Brown (Sportsnet 360/FOX)
Main Card:
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Antonio “Minotoro” Rogerio Nogueira (Sportsnet 360/FOX)
Clay “The Carpenter” Guida vs. Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez (Sportsnet 360/FOX)
Josh “The Punk” Thomson vs. Bobby “King” Green (Sportsnet 360/FOX)
Undercard:
Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal vs. Daron “Detroit Superstar” Cruicshank (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Kyle “Kingsbu” Kingsbury vs. Patrick “Durkin” Cummins (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means vs. Hernani Perpétuo (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Brian “T-City” Ortega vs. Mike “El Cucuy” De La Torre (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Tiago “Trator” dos Santos vs. Akbarh “El Caballero” Arreola (UFC Fight Pass)
“Super” Steven Siler vs. Noad “Neo” Lahat (UFC Fight Pass)
Andreas “Real Steel” Stahl vs. Gilbert “Durinho” Burns (UFC Fight Pass)
Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Juliana “Ju Thai” Lima (UFC Fight Pass)
The Sport Addiction 