Tyron Woodley blasts Robbie Lawler with first-round KO to win title
Tyron Woodley dreamed of being UFC champion since the first time he put on gloves and decided to become a mixed martial artist.
Now he can proudly proclaim himself the best welterweight in the world after his vicious first-round knockout of Robbie Lawler capped UFC 201 on Saturday night in Atlanta.
Heading into the fight, Woodley dealt with a lot of questions about what kind of performance to expect after he sat out for the past 18 months recovering from injuries and awaiting his shot at the belt.
As soon as the fight began, Woodley looked calm, cool and collected as he patiently stood in front of Lawler while looking for the perfect opening to uncork one of his signature power punches.
Woodley is well known for his aggressive attacks early, but he showed patience instead of power in the first minute as he stalked Lawler across the Octagon and threw only one really big punch that whizzed by his opponent's head.
The fighters broke from a brief clinch and rather than look for the takedown, Woodley leaped into a right hand that absolutely crushed Lawler's jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas.
WOODLEY!!!!! #UFC201 https://t.co/7Zao5AIp5S
— UFC (@ufc) July 31, 2016
The sheer force of the shot sent Lawler flying and Woodley wasted no time pouncing on his fallen opponent and unloading a series of quick, hard punches that left no doubt that the fight was over and he was going home with the belt around his waist.
After the fight was over, Woodley admitted he almost felt a little too composed in the back as he prepared to fight for a UFC title for the first time in his career, but it all paid off in the end as he landed a devastating knockout to become champion.
"I was in the back and I was relaxed. I've been extremely relaxed. I was nervous that I wasn't nervous. I knew what Robbie brought to the table. He's a tough competitor," Woodley said. "This is not the first fight I would pick. He's a friend of mine, I admire his career, hats off to Robbie. But I've been envisioning this belt being around my waist my entire life. Ever since I stepped into the Octagon, I had this mission at stake, so it feels amazing."
Woodley knew he had a wrestling advantage over Lawler coming into the fight, but he fully expected the veteran welterweight to be prepared for the takedown, so he never really opted for a grappling attack.
Instead, Woodley decided to close the distance with punches instead of takedowns and the strategy paid off in a big way.
"We just knew Robbie would be well prepared for a takedown," Woodley said. "That he would be hitting me with knees and uppercuts and being aggressive to defend it. So I used a little speed and blitz to cover the gap and when I saw the opening, I went for the right hand.
"Something kept telling me the right hand was going to be open and I went for it."
#AndNew UFC welterweight champion of the world @TWooodley!!!! #UFC201 pic.twitter.com/NoEYjwUOGh
— UFC (@ufc) July 31, 2016
The stoppage came at just 2:12 into the first round as Woodley becomes the new welterweight champion. Woodley's win also signifies the seventh title to change hands in 2016, and with five months still to go, it's tough to tell who will be holding gold when the year comes to an end.
As for Lawler, he was clearly disappointed with the way things ended after such an incredible run as welterweight champion.
"It is what it is. He feinted me, my hand went down, he threw a punch over the top and caught me," Lawler said.
With Woodley now standing tall as champion, he'll have a long list of contenders vying for a chance at the belt with Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson as the most likely candidate after seven consecutive wins while quickly moving up the ranks in the welterweight division.
