Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are all the talk in the UFC’s welterweight division these days, but in case you forgot, Robbie Lawler holds the title belt and has had it for a long time.
Lawler aims to defend his title for the third time on Saturday night when he takes on Tyron Woodley in the main event at UFC 201 in Atlanta.
Woodley hasn’t fought since defeating Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 183 via split decision nearly 18 months ago. He was lined up to fight at UFC 192 against Johny Hendricks but when Hendricks pulled out due to a kidney stone, Woodley decided to adopt a “no strap, no scrap” policy and not accept any non-title bouts.
His patience paid off as he now gets a shot at the title against a formidable opponent in Lawler, who earned the belt way back in 2014 at UFC 181 when he beat Hendricks via split decision. He then defended his title belt at UFC 189 against Rory McDonald and once more at UFC 195 against Carlos Condit.
Both title defenses were all-out brawls to remember for the ages. His victory against McDonald, where he avoided a loss by decision with a knockout in the fifth round, was voted as the fight of the year for 2015 at the World MMA Awards.
Despite his dominance, Lawler hasn’t received nearly as much buzz as the boisterous McGregor and Diaz, who will fight in an anticipated rematch at UFC 202. That said, the 34-year-old has the experience and guile to withstand the speedy attack expected from Woodley.
Also on the main card is a key women’s strawweight bout between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Rose Namajunas. The winner of this match will have a good shot to challenge champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk for the title belt in the near future.
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