MONTREAL – Before the UFC 113 main card kicked off on pay-per-view, the preliminary fighters lit up a roaring crowd at the Bell Centre.

Canadian Joe Doerksen and American bad boy Tom Lawlor gave the fans a thriller before the main card started. Lawlor looked good in the first round, matching everything Doerksen threw at him and more, outworking the Canadian with his boxing.

But Doerksen wasn’t going to waste in return trip to the UFC, and especially not in front of his countrymen. He mixed in an assortment of kicks that took Lawlor out of his rhythm in round two, and ultimately ended his night. Lawlor caught one of the kicks, but on the way to the mat Doerksen switched position, took Lawlor’s back and finished him with a rear naked choke.

“Hat’s off to Tom, he’s a great fighter,” said Doerksen. “He could be standing here the same as me.”