UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler takes on No. 4 ranked welterweight fighter Tyron Woodley, seen recently in Salman Khan-starring Indian movie 'Sultan', in the headline fight of UFC 201 on Saturday. While one of the most hyped UFC events of the calendar year UFC 200 may not have turned out that huge as we had expected it to, the upcoming pay-per-view could come as a real mouthwatering one.
Whenever the "Ruthless," Robbie Lawler, goes into a fight, it doesn't take too long for the octagon to turn into a bloody battleground. Add the explosive all-round fighter "The Chosen One" Tyron Woodley into the mix and the fight card gets pure mouthwatering.
Woodley, 34, has lost just two out of his seven fights in the UFC and he comes into this fight at the back of two wins. Most of his fights, like that of Lawler, has ended in Knockouts or Technical Knockouts (KOs/TKOs).
Lawler, meanwhile, goes on to his third title defence inside the UFC octagon. He won the belt after defeating Johny Hendricks in UFC 181 in 2014 and then went on to defend the title successfully against Rory MacDonald in UFC 189 and Carlos Condit in UFC 195.
While both fighters are very technically skilled, what needs to be seen now is whether Woodley will be at a disadvantage owing to octagon rust. The 'Sultan' fighter last fought in the cage in January 2015, while Lawler competed last in the UFC only in January this year.
"I never wanted a title shot, I've always wanted to be the world champion. I've always wanted the opportunity," Woodley stayed confident however. "I've always wanted to just show everyone I'm the best in the world. I'm excited that I get that opportunity.
"I'm really trying to downplay the moment as much as possible, not look at so much social media, not worry about the odds, not worry about making the event, and really just focus on the skill set it takes to win this fight. Then, after the fight, I'll want to look back and I'll try to enjoy the moment and the process, all the things that I had to overcome just to get to this point. I'll sit back for the first time in my career and try to soak it in."
While the main event has all it takes to turn out a classic, the co-main event of the PPV too will be a closely-contested one as Rose Namajunas, a major contender for the UFC women's strawweight title, takes on Karolina Kowalkiewicz of Poland.
UFC 201: Lawler vs Woodley schedule:
Date: July 30, 2016.
Venue: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia.
Time: 10 p.m. EST / 7 pm PST (7:30 a.m. IST, 3 a.m. BST, 1 p.m. AEDT)
TV listings: Sony Six (India), PayPerView (US, Canada), BT Sport 2 (UK), Combate (Brazil), Main Event (Australia).
Main card:
Robbie Lawler vs Tyron Woodley - UFC welterweight championship
Rose Namajunas vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz - women's strawweight
Matt Brown vs Jake Ellenberger - welterweight
Francisco Rivera vs Érik Pérez - bantamweight
Ryan Benoit vs Fredy Serrano - Flyweight
