Deserving or not, Woodley is No Joke

Deserving or not, Woodley is No Joke

Fresh on the heels of the colossus bicentennial event, dubbed UFC 200 the Ultimate Fighting Championship brings their show to Atlanta, Ga for UFC 201 on July 30^th 2016. Tough to not appear lackluster compared to its predecessor, this event features less of the sports house-hold names.

Many have criticized Welterweight title challenger, Tyron Woodley as an unworthy opponent for Champ Robbie Lawler. Woodley hasn’t competed since his Split Decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum, 1/31/15.  Also “The Chosen One” beat his biggest UFC name to date, Carlos Condit, when a leg kick caused an injury that halted the fight.

However, make no mistake, Woodley is a dangerous opponent for any Welterweight; ask UFC Veterans Dong Hyun Kim, Josh Koscheck or Jay Heiron all of whom Tyron finished in the first round via punches. The 48-0 High School Wrestler trains at American Top Team, the same team as Champion Robbie Lawler.

Many fans are interested in seeing Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson take on Lawler. The former 20-0 Kickboxer has finished seven of his thirteen MMA wins by KO/TKO. In June Thompson beat Rory MacDonald by Unanimous Decision. Prior to that he stopped former Champ Johnny Hendricks (2/6/16) and Jake Ellenberger (7/12/15) both in the first round, earning performance bonuses for each effort. Fans will have to be patient, the dynamic striker will likely be the division’s next challenger.

Before Lawler can even consider a possible match-up with Thompson he must first beat  Woodley on Saturday. “Ruthless” has been in some battles for the WW strap. In March of 2014 he lost a close Title fight to (then champion) Johnny Hendricks, before beating Ellenberger (5/24/14) and Matt Brown (7/26/14) in order to earn a second shot at the gold, all in the same year. In December 2014, Lawler beat Hendricks by Split Decision to become the undisputed King of the WW division. In July of 2015 Lawler defended his belt against Rory MacDonald in a violent match that saw both competitors hurt before Lawler finally put MacDonald away in the fifth round. In January 2016, he out-gutted Carlos Condit in a close Split Decision victory.

No doubt the Thirty-four year old can bring it, but will the accumulated damage of his 27-10-1 career finally catch up with him? I think not, yet. Lawler’s grit and experience in five round wars will prevail, coupled with Woodley’s long absence from competition, Lawler will likely do what Robbie does: bite down on his mouthpiece and battle. Woodley's best chance is to end it early, winning a five round fight against Lawler is a tough order. Lawler's cardio gets stronger in later rounds and Woodley's heavily muscled build has gassed in the past.