UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley official for welterweight title

It’s almost like they call him “The Chosen One” for a reason. Tyron Woodley has been hand-picked by UFC officials to be the next man up for Robbie Lawler’s welterweight title. The bout was made official today and it will take place at UFC 201 inside of Atlanta’s Philips Arena. It will serve as the headliner of the evening.

The post GSP era has been all blood and guts with Robbie Lawler sitting atop his throne. Since beating Johny Hendricks for the title back in late 2014, Lawler has defended the title twice and in heroic fashion.

In his first title defense, Lawler would deliver the performance of a lifetime against Rory MacDonald to become only the 4th man (Miletich, Hughes, GSP) to successfully defend the welterweight strap. It was his only appearance during the 2015 calendar year and it was one that everyone will be talking about until the end of the time.

When Lawler came back to kick off the UFC’s 2016 PPV campaign at UFC 195 against Carlos Condit – I for one never thought a fight that looked this good on paper could live up to its ultraviolent standards. It did. And then some.

Lawler versus Condit was so competitive and brutal that many including myself believed it warranted an immediate rematch. Unfortunately for Condit, who lost via split decision, he won’t get one just yet.

Missouri’s Woodley has put together a solid 4-1 run which includes a win over Condit. Although the win came due to a freakish knee injury suffered by Condit during the bout, a win is a win and that’s the victory that ultimately gives T-Wood the next shot at the current welterweight king.

UFC 201 will take place on July 30th. A welterweight bout between Siyar Bahadurzada and Claudio Silva along with a lightweight contest pitting Damien Brown against Cezar Arzamendia are the only other two fights currently slated for the card at this time.