MMA Odds and Ends for Thursday: UFC 193 Headliner Announced

Robbie LawlerWhile one of these bouts was previously announced, fans will be getting to unwrap their present nearly a month early for an upcoming UFC pay-per-view headliner while a pair of other elite match-ups were announced in the welterweight and featherweight divisions. Robbie Lawler vs Carlos Condit, UFC 193 Originally announced as the headliner of an upcoming UFC event in Calgary, the UFC welterweight title bout between champion Robbie Lawler and former interim champ Carlos Condit will instead take place down under this upcoming November at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia. Lawler is coming off his first successful title defense against Rory MacDonald in one of the greatest title fights in UFC history while Condit returned from a devastating knee injury to win a main event earlier this year against former title challenger Thiago Alves. Look for Lawler to actually open as the favorite this time, but the line should be very competitive due to Condit’s elite status in the division. Johny Hendricks vs Tyron Woodley, UFC 192 Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks will finally lock horns with Tyron Woodley in what is most certainly a number one contender bout. Hendricks is already coming off a decision victory over Matt Brown in his first bout since losing his title while Woodley has won two straight over the likes of Dong Hyun Kim and Kelvin Gastelum (while also holding a win over current title challenger Condit. Both men are elite wrestlers with heavy knockout power so anything could happen in this contest, but expect Hendricks to open up as the favorite due to his prior champion status and his slightly better overall track record against elite competition. Diego Sanchez vs Ricardo Lamas, TUF Latin America 2 Finale Last but not least, Diego Sanchez will be competing in his fourth weight class as he drops to featherweight to take on former title challenger Ricardo Lamas. Sanchez has not competed since a June 2014 split decision victory over Ross Pearson in what many have described as the worst decision in UFC history. Prior to that, he had lost three of his four most recent bouts and seems to have lost a step at 155 pounds as well as the ability to hang with the modern crop of MMA fighters. Lamas, however, has continued to prove he’s one of the best featherweights in the world with victories over Dennis Bermudezand Hacran Dias in the last year, although he was knocked out by top contender Chad Mendes in his most recent fight. It will be a tall task for Sanchez, but he somehow always finds a way to impress the judges with his aggressive high-volume fighting style. Lamas will definitely be the betting favorite, but you never know in Sanchez fights.

Written by Brian Hemminger

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