– The winner of UFC’s Lawler-Brown will be the No. 1 contender to UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. Also expected to take place are bouts pitting Anthony Johnson against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Dennis Bermudez vs. Clay Guida and Josh Thomson going up against Bobby Green.
– UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks doesn’t want to let the cat out of the bag when it comes to his prediction for Saturday’s main event between Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown. Hendricks, who is recovering from bicep surgery, is scheduled to face the winner later this year.
“Realistically, I don’t really care (who wins on Saturday),” Hendricks said, during a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com. “There’s a part of me that would like to face Robbie again being healthy. But then again, there’s a part of me that wants somebody new. I’m torn on this fight. Also, I don’t like to pick the welterweight class because if I sit here and (say), ‘Robbie Lawler is going to smash Matt Brown,’ and all of a sudden Matt Brown beats him, did I give him fuel for to fight me? And vice-versa. I’d like to see how it plays out because I think they both have a chance to win.”
Hendricks (16-2) won the vacant title when he defeated Lawler (23-10) earlier this year. Brown has won six straight to improve his UFC mark to 12-5 and his overall record to 19-11.
– Scott Coker looked to his Strikeforce days for a pair of new fighters to compete inside the Bellator MMA cage, signing Paul Daley and Melvin Manhoef recently. No fight dates for either were announced.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We want Bellator to be a destination for not only the top-tier fighters in the sport, but the first-choice destination for fans to see the most entertaining fights in the sport,” Coker said. “Both Paul and Melvin add a level of excitement to the roster that I can’t wait to see inside our cage, and this is just the beginning.”
Daley (34-13-2) won his Bellator debut two years ago, defeating Rudy Bears, but has fought other places since due to visa issues. He is 5-1 in his last six. He was banned for life from the UFC after hitting Josh Koscheck with a left hook after their fight at UFC 173. Manhoef (28-11-1) scored a TKO win over Evangelista Santos in Brazil earlier this year.
