Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley Confirmed For UFC 201 In Atlanta
After weeks of speculation, the rumored Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley welterweight championship tilt for July 30’s UFC 201 pay-per-view event has been confirmed.
The UFC just confirmed that the 170-pound bout will headline the event from Atlanta’s Philips Arena online and tweeted this announcement:
#UFC201 | @PhilipsArena. @Ruthless_RL vs @TWooodley.
Let’s do this, ATL ???? ???? ➡️ https://t.co/gK6hZN4wzK pic.twitter.com/EED8vTbmoY— UFC (@ufc) May 17, 2016
Many feel that it’s a somewhat questionable booking, as Woodley has been out of action since he beat Kelvin Gastelum via controversial decision at UFC 183 in January 2015. He was supposed to face former champ Tyron Johny Hendricks in a title eliminator bout at October’s UFC 192, but was then promised a title shot when “Bigg Rigg” failed to make weight and backed out of the fight with a medical issue.
The booking is one of the rare instances where the UFC has promised a title shot and came through, and the No.3-ranked Woodley has only won two straight fights since No. 1 Rory MacDonald absolutely dominated him at UFC 174 in 2014. He does own a controversial win over recent title contender Carlos Condit where “The Natural Born Killer” tore his ACL off of a second-round takedown from “The Chosen One.”
MacDonald and No. 2 Stephen Thompson, who recently knocked out Hendricks in February, will face off for what should be the next shot at the winner of Lawler vs. Woodley in the main event of June 18’s UFC Fight Night 89 in the promotion’s debut in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
He’ll have his hands full with the surging champ Lawler, who has defended his belt twice since winning it from Hendricks in late 2014, defeating MacDonald in a bloody all-time great war at last summer’s UFC 189 before winning a highly controversial split decision of his own over Condit at this January’s UFC 195.
UFC 201 will mark the promotion’s first return to Atlanta since Jon Jones thoroughly defeated former friend and archrival Rashad Evans in their grudge match at 2012′ UFC 145.
