UFC 201 Preview

After the milestone and eventful UFC 200 which was marred by controversy before and after the event, and is still being debated and talked about, the UFC looks to shift focus from all that controversy towards the next pay per view which will take place this Saturday. Not only one of the most entertaining champions, but one of the most entertaining fighters in MMA period, Robbie Lawler defends his UFC Welterweight Championship against #3 ranked Welterweight Tyron Woodley, in what should be an intriguing fight. What makes this fight interesting is that both Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley represent American Top Team and have trained together in the past. Despite being friends, there comes a time where you have to put that to the side and test your skills against the best in the world. And with the UFC Championship on the line there is no choice but to put friendship aside, to strive for a better life for you and your family, which is the luxury that is afforded to you when you become champion.

Since Robbie Lawler has returned to the UFC back in 2013, his story has been nothing short of inspirational and is quite possibly the greatest comeback story I’ve ever seen in the sport. Robbie has been fighting since he was 19 years old and his career has been filled with ups and downs. As soon as Robbie arrived on the scenes his style was one that was brawling, intense, entertaining and that had your eyes glued to the television set with the hope of seeing a highlight reel knockout. Although this style backfired on him early in his career, losing fights to Nick Diaz, Evan Tanner, and Jason Miller, Robbie would eventually become Elite XC Champion which at the time, was his crowning accomplishment. After Elite XC shut down, Robbie took his talents to Strikeforce where he had a very mediocre run amassing a paltry 3 wins to 5 loss record. When UFC bought Strikeforce and decided to take in Strikeforce fighters, Robbie Lawler’s contract was picked up. Most people(at that point in his career) believed he was nothing more than an entertaining gatekeeper, but in his first fight back in the UFC after being away for nearly a decade, Robbie Lawler opened eyes by knockingout former title contender Josh Koscheck. Robbie would eventually go on a 3-0 run since returning to the company, most notably beating rising star Rory MacDonald to earn the chance to fight Johny Hendricks for the vacant Welterweight title. Although losing against Hendricks in what was a highly competitive and close contest, he didn’t give up his pursuit of the Welterweight Championship. Right after his loss against Hendricks, Robbie had a quick turn around beating top contenders Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown to secure a rematch with Johny Hendricks before the year’s end. This time around Robbie Lawler got the job done and realized his dreams of becoming the UFC Welterweight Champion of the world. Something that he was destined to do since he was a teenager, he proved that no matter how rocky the road gets, never give up on your dream. He also proved that even late in you career you can still improve as a fighter.

For Tyron Woodley the journey to the title shot has been a very interesting one. Similar to his opponent, Tyron fought in Strikeforce where he made a name for himself as a rising prospect. When he entered the UFC he was viewed as one of the new blood in the division who MMA fans should keep an eye on. Tyron Woodley has shown he has powerful and quick hands to go with his strong wrestling base. He has put his punching power on display when he fought Jay Hieron, Josh Koscheck and Dong Hyun Kim. And even though certain fans try to discredit his win against Condit due to how it ended (Condit injured his knee after stepping away after being kicked by Woodley), Woodley was dominating Condit in the fight before that occurred. Tyron also defeated rising prospect Kelvin Gastelum, which would earn him a #1 contenders fight against former Champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 192. However, the day before the fight was supposed to take place, it was announced that Hendricks was forced out of the fight because of weight cutting issues. Feeling slighted because of this, Woodley decided against taking another fight feeling he had done enough to earn a title shot. This gamble worked out but it also may bite him in the ass. Because of the incident with Hendricks at UFC 192, it will mark over a year and a half since Woodley has stepped foot in the cage. And the last fighter you want to come into the fight having cage rust against is Robbie Lawler, who is going to push you to limits you have never experienced before. Tyron Woodley will maybe have a speed advantage but I don’t think his wrestling will really be a factor even if he is able to take Robbie down. Robbie knows how to get back to his feet after being taken down better than anyone. I expect Robbie to come in the first round and take advantage of Woodley’s cage rust and set the tone for the fight. I’m predicting Robbie Lawler by a wide decision.

Also on the card in what should be a #1 contenders fight for the Women’s Strawweight title, are former Ultimate Fighter finalist Rose Namajunas facing of against Polish Muay Thai specialist, Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Also, the entertaining Matt Brown faces Jake Ellenberger which is a “back against the wall” fight, where if either fighter loses they could get lost in the shuffle in Welterweight. All in all despite the strong main event, the card won’t get the needle moving and I don’t expect big PPV buy rate numbers from this. But as a MMA fan, anytime Robbie Lawler fights I get excited for it. With UFC 202: McGregor vs. Diaz 2 shortly after this, this card pales in comparison to that. Losing Demetrious Johnson on the card surprisingly really hurts the event big time. Although Demetrious isn’t a big star despite in my opinion, being the best pound for pound fighter in the world, having another title fight on the card certainly would give it a boost. Namajunas/Kowalkiewicz isn’t a fight that could even main event a Fight Night card, let alone co-main event a PPV. But like I said before, anytime Robbie Lawler fights, I’m watching no matter what.UF