Brazilian Maiquel Falcao fights Tom Lawlor at "UFC: Rio"

Earlier this week, ufc middleweight fighter Maiquel Falcao, spoke about his desires to once again compete in his native Brazil. The organization will be making it’s long awaited return to Brazil, the first time since 1998, when the UFC comes to Rio de Janiero come this August.

Falcao will have his wish to fight before his countryman as he has recently been added to the budding “UFC 134: Rio” pay-per-view event, which has also added some other big named talent, including two rematches of epic proportions as former champions Forrest Griffin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will battle once again for top contender supremacy, and middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva defends his title for a record setting ninth time when he steps inside the octagon opposite of the last man to defeat him in perennial contender Yushin Okami.

Needless to say, this event is a big deal, and now Maiquel will be a part of it. However, Tom Lawlor, his opponent come this August will do everything in his power to prevent Falcao from victory.

UFC 134 takes place at the HSBC Arena in Rio on August 27th and is already creating a buzz both in the media and amongst the fans. Brazil has long been considered a hub of mixed martial arts talent, and the fighters donning the card are the true testament to that statement.

Maiquel debuted within the UFC last November, securing a decision win over then budding contender Gerald Harris at UFC 123. Though he earned his the win over a well respected opponent, the fight was less than spectacular, to say the least, and drew the ire of everyone, including UFC President Dana White, who cut Harris after the bout–despite having gone 3-1 inside the promotion. Falcao earned a second chance, as White suggested he could have been a victim of the “UFC jitters”. Now, “Big Rig”, will have the opportunity to extend his eight fight win streak in his next outing, though Tom Lawlor has proven to be a formidable force in the middleweight division.

“Filthy” Tom recently picked up a dominant decision win over one-time UFC title challenger Patrick Cote. The collegiate wrestler utilized his superior grappling skills throughout the bout, taking down Cote time and time again before opening up with ground and pound strikes while on top. In the end, Lawlor was awarded the decision, which helped him out of a two-fight slump against Aaron Simpson and Joe Doerksen, respectively. Prior to those losses, Lawlor had gone 2-0 inside the octagon with a dominant decision win over budding contender Kyle Kingsbury (at light heavyweight) and then a swift submission victory over fellow “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran in C.B. Dollaway—the 55-second guillotine choke earned Tom the “Submission of the Night” award at UFC 100 in July of 2009.

The winner here could move on to break into the upper echelon of the division with an impressive victory, while the other will drop back down to the pile of the heap.

MMAJunkie.com initially reported the bout, stating that both fighters have verbally agreed to the match-up and that contracts are expected to be signed in the immediate future.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think about the match-up? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.