After a flat performance in his last flight, Tom Lawlor came to Stockholm in business mode. Lawlor marched to the octagon without any of his customary theatrics, and after overcoming a rough first round, showed his tenacity by forcing Michael Kuiper to tapout to a guillotine choke.
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The finish came at 1:05 of the second round.
Kuiper surprisingly out-grappled Lawlor early, scoring a couple of takedowns in the first. He also injured Lawlor's right knee with kicks. That seemed to affect Lawlor's ability to balance his weight and he fell at one point while trying to change levels for a takedown.
Despite the problem, he was able to trap Kuiper in a guillotine early in the second after Kuiper ducked low to attempt to take the fight to the mat. Lawlor had to adjust the hold after Kuiper withstood his original attempt, and did so, and the tighter choke forced the tap.
After winning, Lawlor dedicated the win to the memory of his sister Katie, who died 12 years ago in a car accident. The victory improved his record to 9-5 with 1 no contest.
Kuiper has now lost two of his three octagon encounters, falling to 12-2.