One-time middleweight title contender
Patrick Cote will meet
Tom Lawlor in a preliminary matchup at
UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez” on Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Nine bouts are now official for the event, which will air live on pay-per-view.
Cote, a former two-division TKO champion who has also held titles inside the King of the Cage and Maximum Fighting Championship promotions, will enter the match on a two-fight losing streak. In his first fight since reconstructive knee surgery, the 30-year-old Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, native submitted to a rear-naked choke from
Alan Belcher at UFC 113 in May. Cote owns notable victories against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner
Kendall Grove, former middleweight King of Pancrase
Ricardo Almeida and current Strikeforce standout
Scott Smith. He has delivered nine of his 13 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Based at The Jungle MMA in Orlando, Fla., Lawlor has dropped back-to-back bouts since his submission victory against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 finalist
C.B. Dollaway at UFC 100. The 28-year-old submitted to a rear-naked choke from Canadian journeyman
Joe Doerksen at UFC 113. Lawlor was a three-time national wrestling champion at the University of Central Florida and a quarter-finalist on Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.
Meanwhile, former King of the Cage champion
Michael Guymon will take on
Daniel Roberts in a preliminary welterweight duel.
Guymon has rattled off six wins in seven fights and outpointed decorated judoka
Yoshiyuki Yoshida en route to a unanimous decision at UFC 113. The 35-year-old Newport Beach, Calif., native has secured 11 of his 12 victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Wins against current KOTC welterweight champion
Quinn Mulhern and Team Alpha Male’s
Kyacey Uscola anchor Guymon’s resume.
A collegiate All-American wrestler at Bacone College, an NAIA school in Muskogee, Okla., Roberts has posted more than half (seven) of his 10 wins by submission. He entered the UFC undefeated in nine bouts, only to suffer brutal knockout at the hands of
John Howard in his promotional debut at UFC Live 1 in March. Roberts, 30, won a split decision from
Forrest Petz at UFC 116 last month.
Finally, former TKO lightweight champion
Sam Stout will collide with
Paul Taylor in an undercard matchup at 155 pounds.
A
Shawn Tompkins protégé, Stout has won two of his last three fights but lost a split decision to
Jeremy Stephens at UFC 113 three months ago. The 26-year-old London, Ontario, Canada, native holds wins over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 semi-finalist
Joe Lauzon, UFC mainstay
Spencer Fisher and
Matt Wiman. Long revered as one of the lightweight division’s top entertainers, Stout has won five “Fight of the Night” bonuses in his nine Octagon appearances.
The bout will serve as Taylor’s debut at 155 pounds. The 30-year-old Walsall, England, native has lost four of his last six fights, including a unanimous decision to surging welterweight prospect
John Hathaway at UFC 105 in November. Taylor, an accomplished kickboxer, once held the Cage Rage middleweight crown.
A heavyweight title bout between champion
Brock Lesnar and unbeaten challenger
Cain Velasquez will headline UFC 121, along with a pivotal welterweight showdown between former Strikeforce titleholder
Jake Shields and the world-ranked
Martin Kampmann. The event will also feature a light heavyweight tilt pairing
Tito Ortiz with
Matt Hamill and a heavyweight matchup pitting “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 finalist
Brendan Schaub against
Gabriel Gonzaga.
Brock Lesnar vs.
Cain Velasquez
Jake Shields vs.
Martin Kampmann
Paulo Thiago vs.
Diego Sanchez
Tito Ortiz vs.
Matt Hamill
Brendan Schaub vs.
Gabriel Gonzaga
Court McGee vs.
Ryan Jensen
Patrick Cote vs.
Tom Lawlor
Michael Guymon vs.
Daniel Roberts
Sam Stout vs.
Paul Taylor
*
Todd Duffee vs.
Jon Madsen
*
Dongi Yang vs.
Chris Camozzi
* Not Official
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