Tyron Woodley Dethrones Robbie Lawler, Delivers Clean Stoppage in UFC 201 Headliner

Another champion bit the dust.Tyron Woodley disposed of Robbie Lawler with first-round punches, as he became the ninth undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder in the UFC 201 headliner on Saturday at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Woodley (16-3, 6-2 UFC) brought it to a close 2:12 into round one, as he joined Nick Diaz as the only men to have stopped Lawler with strikes. Lawler (27-11, 12-5 UFC) never knew what hit him. Woodley dropped the champion against the fence with a blinding right hook and followed with a series of unanswered rights that forced referee Dan Miragliotta to intervene. The dazed Lawler had no chance to defend himself, his remarkable late-career run of five straight victories at an end. Woodley, 34, will ride a three-fight winning streak into his first title defense, likely against Stephen Thompson later this year. Related » UFC 201 Round-by-Round Scoring Kowalkiewicz Clinch Sinks Namajunas In the three-round co-main event, the unbeaten Karolina Kowalkiewicz cemented her place as the No. 1 contender in the women’s strawweight division with a split decision over “The Ultimate Fighter 20” finalist Rose Namajunas. All three judges scored it 29-28, Ken Coffey and Jeff Mullen for Kowalkiewicz, Chris Lee for Namajunas. Namajunas (5-3, 3-2 UFC) countered beautifully in the first round, cutting off the KSW and Invicta Fighting Championships veteran with both hands. Kowalkiewicz made the necessary adjustment in the second, lured the Grudge Training Center standout into the clinch and battered her with knees to the body and standing elbows to the head. The work paid dividends, as Namajunas’ movements became slower, her …

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