Lawler vs. Woodley Pick
The UFC Welterweight Championship is up for grabs in the main event of UFC 201 tonight. Who will walk away with the strap?
Tonight’s championship bout features Robbie Lawler (27-10) defending his title against Tyron Woodley (15-3). According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Lawler is a slight favorite to retain his belt, as he has odds of -155 to prevail. Woodley has been given odds of +125 to win the title. UFC 201 takes place from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. These two will be the main event of a PPV card that begins at 10PM ET.
Lawler is looking to defend his title for the third time. He has won his last five bouts, including a pair of five-round title defenses against Carlos Condit and Rory McDonald in the last 13 months. Woodley has won his last two fights, beating Kelvin Gastelum and Dong Hyun Kim, to earn this title fight. He is just 4-2 in his last six fights, however. He also hasn’t competed since January of 2015 due to injuries.
Both of these men pack a punch, so an early knockout certainly isn’t out of the question. However, Lawler comes into this fight more tested and with the better endurance. Woodley has struggled in the past going into later rounds, so a five-round battle with Lawler will be difficult for him to get through. Woodley has already lost somewhat soundly to the likes of Rory MacDonald, a man that Lawler bloodied up. While Woodley could land a KO punch early, Lawler seems to be the better overall fighter. He has really improved a great deal in recent years and has a tremendous chin. Look for him to simply out-will Woodley in this fight and retain his title in another brutal war.
UFC 201 FREE PICK: ROBBIE LAWLER -155