After an injury forced “Crazy” Tim Credeur off of the card, Canadian veteran Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen will step in on less than three weeks’ notice to face “Filthy” Tom Lawlor on the undercard of UFC 113. Doerksen competed this past Friday and picked up a hard-fought decision win over Chad Herrick at KOTC: “Bad Boys 2,” which aired live on HDNet.
Doerksen has fought six times for the UFC, but holds just a single win inside the Octagon. A victory over the talented and charismatic Lawlor could earn Doerksen one final run at contendership in the stacked division.
Doerksen (44-12-0) is one of the most well-travelled competitors in mixed martial arts and has fought all over the world for many of the sport’s top promotions. With an incredible 32 submission victories, including a 2005 win over Patrick “The Predator” Côté in the UFC, Doerksen is a formidable test for anyone in the middleweight division. Following his win over Herrick, Doerksen appeared to be disappointed with his performance and stated intentions to re-evaluate his career, but he will now look to make the most of a golden opportunity.
Lawlor (6-2-0, 1 NC) debuted in the UFC as a participant on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show and quickly became one of the more popular fighters due to his joker reputation. Lawlor showed that he had the skills to compete in the UFC when he picked up back-to-back victories over Kyle Kingsbury and CB “The Doberman” Dollaway, but lost a controversial decision to Aaron “A-Train” Simpson in January. The setback derailed Lawlor’s rise up the ranks, but a victory over the veteran Doerksen would put Lawlor back on track.
UFC 113 takes place on May 8th at the Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The event will air live on pay-per-view.
UFC 113 Fight Card (subject to change):
– Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout)
– Paul “Semtex” Daley vs Josh Koscheck
– Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens vs Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout
– Alan “The Talent” Belcher vs Patrick “The Predator” Côté
– Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs Matt Mitrione
– Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen vs “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (*)
– “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis vs Jonathan “The Road Warrior” Goulet
– Mike “Joker” Guymon vs Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida
– Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran vs Chad Corvin
– TJ Grant vs Johnny Hendricks
– Nick “The Jersey Devil” Catone vs John Salter
*Not officially announced.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)