Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown seemed like a "can't miss" fight for the UFC. Two all action fighters who never are afraid of a fight, no matter how dangerous the opponent.
It also seemed like a fight that couldn't possibly go all five rounds, a fact that Dana White banked on when he said he'd walk back to Las Vegas if the fight went to a decision.
The fight did end up going all five rounds, but it did not disappoint in any way.
It was obvious from the first bell that neither man had altered their style for the fight. Both men threw bombs, both men were reckless enough to be hit and hurt from time to time but neither went away. It was a great fight, the kind of thing that Fox and the UFC should always want on network TV as it showcased how brilliant the sport can be.
White might be walking back to Vegas, but he can do so with a smile on his face.
- We should probably address Matt Brown faking being hit with a low blow after he got hurt to the body, but I don't want to. The fight was too fun.
- Anthony Johnson's destruction of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was a thing that was more expected than anything. Nogueira looks rough at this point in his career and Johnson's power was a very big factor on paper. It played out in a way that proved that it probably shouldn't have happened. Johnson is being set up to challenge for the light heavyweight title, but I would like to see him in more compelling match-ups than this going forward.
- Dennis Bermudez put a fantastic beating on Clay Guida to extend his win streak to seven in a row. Guida seems to be in the "winding down" period of his career. He still has plenty of enthusiasm and his gas tank isn't diminished or anything, but against younger, more dynamic fighters, he doesn't seem to be able to compete. Not that I'm calling for his retirement, I just don't know that Guida will ever compete at a contender level or anywhere near it in the future.
- Bobby Green improved to 4-0 in the UFC and extended his win streak to eight with the biggest win of his career, taking a split decision over Josh Thomson. Green came on very strong in the later stages of the fight as Thomson turned in another befuddling performance. He is one of the more consistent fighters in either greatly exceeding expectations or badly underperforming.
- Jorge Masvidal vs. Daron Cruickshank was another one of those "this one isn't going to a decision" fights. It joined the main event as also going to decision. In fact, nine of the twelve fights on the card went to a decision. This was the sixth UFC event in 2014 to feature nine or more decisions.
- Pat Cummins beating up on Kyle Kingsbury was a bit of a waste. Cummins is a curious fighter in that he has a lot of potential, but beating a guy who hadn't fought in almost two years and hadn't won in three didn't really tell us much about the upper limits of his career.