UFC on FOX 12 results, photos: Robbie Lawler tops gritty Matt Brown in shootout

SAN JOSE – Robbie Lawler wanted to punch his ticket back to a title shot, and had to do it against the hottest thing going in the welterweight division.

In another hard-fought 25-minute battle, Lawler (24-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) got it done with a unanimous decision win over Matt Brown (21-12 MMA, 12-6 UFC), snapping Brown’s seven-fight winning streak to earn a welterweight title shot against champion Johny Hendricks, whom he lost a close decision to in March.

The welterweight bout and title eliminator headlined today’s UFC on FOX 12 event at San Jose’s SAP Center. The majority of the card aired on FOX following select prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

“There’s two champions in this ring tonight. He’s a hell of a fighter. We put on a great show. He came toe-to-toe with me, and not many people do that,” Lawler said of Brown. “I’m very excited. I want to get back to work and go after Hendricks. He’s nursing some injuries, but I’m going to be the one waiting for him. That’s nice.”

Right out of the gate, Lawler put a combination on Brown, he looked comfortable early. But after 90 seconds of Lalwer landing some solid punches, Brown showed some signs of life with a big right hand that stung the favored Lawler. And suddenly, the fight was on.

The two traded back and forth, and Brown landed a takedown two minutes in. He tied Lawler’s neck up and was in position for a D’Arce choke. But Lawler scrambled to his feet and the two tied up against the fence. where Lawler planted a big left hook on Brown’s chin. From the classic muay Thai clinch, which is Brown’s wheelhouse, he landed some big elbows.

But Lawler responded with a left hand, then a knee. After the separation, Lawler landed big again, then just missed a spinning back fist. After five minutes, it was the shootout most everyone expected it to be.

The pace slowed in the second round, but midway through Brown tried to take the fight to the canvas. Lawler didn’t stay there long, though, before he popped back to his feet and looked to assert his jab. Brown’s best offense in the round came courtesy of his kicks, one of which landed solidly to Lawler’s body.

In the third, Brown shot in for a takedown right away. But Lawler defended it, and while doing so, he cut Brown open with an elbow, then tried to put him in trouble back on the feet. Three minutes in, Lawler was dealt a bad break. He landed a kick to Brown’s midsection, and when Brown doubled over in pain, referee John McCarthy halted the action – believing it was a low blow. The replays showed it was not, and Brown got a reprieve

Lawler caught a Brown kick early in the fourth and used it to bully the fight to the ground. Brown was forced to work off his back as Lawler tried to pass. When the fight went back to the feet, it was largely Lawler in striking range.

In the fifth, the gunslinging was back on with each fighter likely believing they needed the round to win the fight. About 90 seconds in, Brown started to turn things up. He looked the worst of the two, but he threw kicks to the legs and body and mixed in punches on top of them. Midway through, Brown started to come on even stronger, despite the fact he was a bloody mess. But then Lawler kicked to the body and backed Brown up with punches. Brown popped Lawler’s head back with a right, then he looked at the clock with 70 seconds left.

With 10 seconds left, Lawler landed a big punch that planted Brown on the canvas – and almost certainly sealed the round for himself, as well as the fight. Lawler took a pair of 49-46 scores and a 48-47.

Lawler won his second straight since his vacant welterweight title loss to Hendricks at UFC 171. Brown had his seven-fight streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 12 results include:

• Robbie Lawler def. Matt Brown via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
• Anthony Johnson def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:44
• Dennis Bermudez def. Clay Guida via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:57
• Bobby Green def. Josh Thomson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Jorge Masvidal def. Daron Cruickshank via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Patrick Cummins def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-24)
• Tim Means def. Hernani Perpetuo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brian Ortega def. Mike De La Torre via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:39
• Tiago Trator def. Akbarh Arreola via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Gilbert Burns def. Andreas Stahl via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Juliana Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Noad Lahat def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on UFC on FOX 12, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on-site on San Jose.)