Falcao-Lawlor Targeted for UFC 134 in Brazil

Tom Lawlor (right) will meet Maiquel Falcao on the Brazilian’s home turf. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Falcao confirmed his participation in the event via Twitter following an initial report from MMAJunkie.com on Monday.

Also known as “UFC Rio,” the event is scheduled to go down Aug. 27 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro and is expected to be headlined by a middleweight title rematch between dominant champion Anderson Silva and No.1 contender Yushin Okami.

Falcao rides an eight-fight win streak into his showdown with Lawlor. After fighting the entirety of his professional career in Brazil, “Big Rig” made his North American and UFC debut against Gerald Harris at UFC 123 in November, winning a unanimous decision. Known for his punching power, Falcao owns 21 of his 26 career wins by knockout. In seven years, Falcao has seen the judges’ scorecards only twice.

A cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8, Lawlor debuted with the UFC at that season’s finale in 2008. The “Filthy Mauler” followed his unanimous decision victory over Kyle Kingsbury with a submission win over fellow wrestler C.B. Dollaway six months later at UFC 100. The middleweight rebounded from back-to-back defeats against Aaron Simpson and Joe Doerksen by earning a unanimous nod over Patrick Cote at UFC 121 in October.