Robbie Lawler-Tyron Woodley Welterweight Title bout now official as UFC 201 headliner in Atlanta

By Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Robbie Lawler (photo credit Joe Camporeale © USA Today)

That didn’t take long.

Just hours after a report that the Robbie Lawler-Tyron Woodley Welterweight Title fight was in the “finalizing stages” for the UFC 201 main event, the fight has now been made official.

The bout was announced as the headliner for the July 30 pay-per-view event from Atlanta’s Philips Arena Tuesday afternoon via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, with confirmation from the UFC.

Lawler looks to defend the title for the third time, following successful defenses over Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit. Woodley returns to the cage for the first time in 18 months for his long-awaited shot at the belt.

It’s the second of two pay-per-view events from the UFC in the month of July, following up on the July 9 UFC 200 card, and the sixth event in the month overall from the organization.

Penick’s Analysis: It’s the least interesting title fight for Robbie Lawler at this point, but the UFC felt it was the option to go with at this stage. Woodley’s time out of the cage has also kept him out of mind from the UFC’s fanbase for the most part, and it’s not going to be the easiest fight for them to sell, especially just three weeks after UFC 200. The fans in Atlanta will show up for the live event, but it’s going to be a real tough sell on pay-per-view, regardless of how must-see Lawler’s last couple of fights have been.

[Photo (c) Joe Camporeale via USA Today Sports]

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