Lawlor looking for easier fights

by Beau Dure/USA TODAY on May 16, 2012 at 1:30 am ET 

 

FAIRFAX, Va. – Tom Lawlor may have joked after his win Tuesday night that Virginia is merely one of his top 50 states in which to fight, but he knows the state has been very kind to him.

 

The first time the UFC visited Fairfax, Lawlor (8-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) won the 'Fight of the Night' bonus in a narrow split-decision loss to Aaron Simpson. This time, he cleanly knocked out Jason MacDonald (26-16 MMA, 6-8 UFC) in 50 seconds flat to win 'Knockout of the Night' – by default, given the lack of KOs on the rest of the card, but he had set a high bar with a powerful combo that left MacDonald sprawled face-first.

 

"I'll fight in Virginia every time," Lawlor said. "I got 'Fight of the Night' that time and a knockout tonight, so I feel good." And the win capped a fine 29th birthday celebration for Lawlor, who walked out wearing festive attire along with cornerman Seth Petruzelli as the Beatles tune "Birthday" blared.

 

Again, the live TV broadcast didn't capture his walkout, but the UFC released footage via Twitter. "It wasn't my best work, I'll be honest," Lawlor said.  The last time he was in Virginia, he did an elaborate Hulk Hogan tribute.

 

Lawlor's weigh-in performance, though, was one to add to his highlight reel, as he unleashed a tribute to Genki Sudo's tribute to guitarist Buckethead. Sudo, Lawlor said, was a fighter who could do it all in addition to his succession of colorful entrances. "I can't even hold a candle to him, not even close," Lawlor said. "He had so many good ones. So I went with his imitation of Buckethead. Now I'm doing an imitation of someone doing an imitation. It's kind of like Inception."

But even if the fight hadn't taken place on his birthday, Lawlor wasn't planning to enter to music from Buckethead, a favorite of hard-core guitar aficionados and a one-time member of Guns N' Roses. "Before I went with 'Birthday' by the Beatles, I requested 'Sweet Transvestite' from Rocky Horror Picture Show," Lawlor said. "I don't know if it ever got approved or not."

But beyond the colorful persona is a serious fighter who really appreciates the bonus money, having just moved to Massachusetts to be closer to his family. "I think I miscalculated the cost of living in the Northeast," Lawlor said. "I basically took all my money, bought a house and blew through my money – just living costs, traveling, price of gas, multiple training locations."

 

Lawlor still goes back to Florida on occasion to train with Petruzelli and company. In New England, he goes to several gyms. Tim Burrill, a fourth-degree black belt under Carlos Machado, was in Lawlor's corner along with Petruzelli. He also works with the Joe Lauzon-affiliated Team Aggression, strength coach Kyle Holland, and Pawtucket's Tri-Force MMA.

 

After his colorful run in "The Ultimate Fighter 8," in which he lost early to eventual champion Ryan Bader but had several moments of merriment in the house, he beat castmate Kyle Kingsbury at the finale and choked out C.B. Dollaway at UFC 100. The loss to Simpson stalled his momentum.