Middleweights Maiquel Falcao and Tom Lawlor agree to UFC 134 matchup in Brazil

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

A middleweight bout is in the works between Maiquel Falcao and "Filthy" Tom Lawlor for this summer's UFC 134 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.

Falcao fights for just the second time in the UFC, his first fight since defeating Gerald Harris at UFC 123 in November. With a record of 26-3 with one no contest, Falcao will take part in his 30th fight in his home country on this card.

Lawlor returns for the first time since the fall as well. After back to back losses in 2010 had him at risk of being cut by the organization, Lawlor defeated former title challenger Patrick Cote at UFC 121 last October to move to 3-2 inside the Octagon.

UFC 134 takes place from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 27, headlined by a Middleweight Championship bout between Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami.

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Penick's Analysis: This is a good fight. Falcao didn't make the best first impression with the UFC, choosing to play a tentative and safe circling game against Harris in the second and third rounds of their fight and winning a decision. Things may have been different had the timekeeper done their job in the first round, as he locked on a late submission attempt and looked to have it secured, but the horn was sounded a full seven seconds early, allowing Harris to escape. But he's known as a violent finisher, and 21 of his 26 wins have ended by T(KO), so Lawlor will need to be wary of that coming in. Lawlor has a good wrestling and grappling game, however, and some decent striking as well, so he'll be a formidable challenge for Falcao.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9159.shtml

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