UFC 201 Statistical Matchup Analysis: Lawler vs. Woodley

In the post-Georges St. Pierre welterweight world, the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division continues to get progressively more exciting.Robbie Lawler has been busy stringing together an unprecedented spree of classic fights. Most recently, he took a controversially close split decision in a back-and-forth affair with Carlos Condit on Jan. 2. Before that, he authored a signature win in an all-time great bout against Rory MacDonald in July 2015, which was his first title defense and only fight of the year. The unlikely late-career resurgence for the longtime vet has been a true feel-good story; prior to his return to the UFC, Lawler went 3-5 in Strikeforce with several uninspired performances. Now he is two wins away from tying the title defense record of mentor and former coach Pat Miletich. Related » UFC 201 Preview Standing in his way at UFC 201 on Saturday in Atlanta is fellow Strikeforce alum Tyron Woodley. The NCAA All-American wrestler has had a sterling-if-not-slightly-underappreciated career thus far. After failing to capture the Strikeforce welterweight championship in 2012, Woodley has gone 5-2 in the UFC, losing only to Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald, the former a much-maligned split decision loss most felt was a robbery. Despite being among the elite welterweights for half a decade, “The Chosen One” has surprisingly little to show for it, making this a high-stakes bout for him. Woodley has not fought since UFC 183 in January 2015. Here is what the Tale of the Tape has to say: Anthropometrically, there is very little separation between Lawler and Woodley. The incumbent champion is two inches taller, but to borrow a phrase from our good friend Mike Goldberg, everything else is virtually identical. There are, however, a few other surprises here. First, the disparity in experience is shocking considering both men are the same age. Lawler started fighting professionally eight years before Woodley and has logged almost two additional in-cage hours in the UFC and Strikeforce; and that is not counting his several legitimate bouts in Icon Sport, Pride Fighting Championships, the International Fight League and EliteXC. On top of that, Lawler has fought past the third round five times now, going 4-1 in those fights. Meanwhile, Woodley is 0-1 in fights that have seen the championship rounds: He was knocked out in the fourth round by Nate Marquardt. While Woodley is definitely a seasoned veteran, you have to give the experience edge to Lawler. Although the stance difference might leap out to some as a potential advantage for Lawler, it is important to also note that Woodley is 4-0 against southpaws, which includes his last two wins against Kelvin Gastelum and Dong Hyun Kim. It is also important to clarify that even though both men rock the American Top Team tag, they are not …

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