Tag: UFC 201

UFC 201 Atlanta live results: Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

This event is headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout as UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler makes his third title defense, this time against challenger Tyron Woodley. In the co-main event, it is a potential title eliminator bout in the women’s strawweight division as Rose Namajunas takes on undefeated Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

– UFC 201 DFS Playbook

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)

LIGHTWEIGHTS
CESAR ARZAMENDIA (7-2, 0-1 UFC) VS. DAMIEN BROWN (15-9, 0-1 UFC)

First round:  Arzamendia with jumping knees.  Right by Arzamendia.  Brown dropped him with a hard right to the jaw and is pounding on him on the ground.  Brown dropped an elbow.  Arzamendia smooth move into a heel hook.  Brown escaped.  Arzamendia landed punches standing.  Arzamendia landed a left.  Brown landed a left and two rights, the first almost put him down and second did and Brown landed punches on the ground until it was stopped by ref Marc Goddard 2:27

They just announced Neil Magny vs.  Lorenz Larkin as the Fight Pass main event for 8/20’s UFC 202.  That’s a legit potential great match where the winner can advance significantly.

WELTERWEIGHTS
MICHAEL GRAVES (6-0, 2-0 UFC) VS. BOJAN VELICKOVIC (14-3, 1-0 UFC)

First round:  USA chants for Graves.  Low kick landed by Velickovic.  Body kick back by Graves.  Low kick by Velickovic.  These two have trained together in the past.  Body kick by Graves.  Velickovic  with a few low kicks.  Crowd is booing.  Little happening.  10-9 Velickovic.

Second round:  Graves working for a takedown and got it.   Graves has his back.  Graves  is trying to get a choke.  Velickovic  is trying to stand up.  Velickovic tried to get up and now Graves is on top of him in guard.  Graves has his back again.  Graves is again going for a choke.  Graves with a 10-8 round up 19-18 after two.

Third round:  Velickovic with low kicks.  Velickovic trying for a takedown.  .  HJe took Graves down and got his back.  Graves back up and took Velickovic down.  Velickovic escapedand back to his feet.  Body kick by Velickovic.  Graves working for a takedown.  Velickovic landing some.  Graves pushed him around.   Velickovic working for a takedown late but doesn’t have it.  Close third round, I’ve got it Velickovic 10-9 here so a 28-28 draw.  Obviously could go either way.

Scores:  30-27, 28-28, 28-28 a majority, not sure who got the 30-27 but would have to be Graves.

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 2- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

FLYWEIGHTS
(#7) WILSON REIS (20-6, 4-2 UFC) VS. HECTOR SANDOVAL (12-2, 0-0 UFC)

First round:  Low kick by Sandoval.  Hard right by Sandoval.  Both swinging.  Reis with a takedown and got his back.  Nice takedown by Reis.  Sandoval reversed to the top.  Reis with a takedown and got his back again.  Sandoval tapped out.

They just announced  a 9/24 show on FS 1 from Brasilia, Brazil.

HEAVYWEIGHTS

ANTONY HAMILTON (14-5, 2-3 UFC) VS. DAMIAN GRABOWSKI (20-3, 0-1 UFC)

First round:  Hamilton landing all kinds of shots and it’s already over.  Hamilton just got the jump on him and kept firing until it was over.   There were several right uppercuts as Grabowski was falling down.  :14

This was the second fastest heavyweight knockout in history, only Todd Duffee’s seven second win over Tim Hague seven second knockout in 2009 at UFC 102.

WELTERWEIGHTS

ROSS PEARSON (19-11 1 NC, 11-8 1 NC UFC) VS. JORGE MASVIDAL (29-11, 6-4 UFC)

First round:  Masvidal with a high kick.  High kick and knee by Masvidal.  Masvidal threw a kick and Pearson took him down off it.  Pearson got his back but Masvidal back up and away.  Masvidal with knees and elbows.   Low kick by Pearson.  Spin kick by Masvidal.  Masvidal 10-9.

Second round:  Pearson throwing low kicks.  Masvidal dropped him  with a left and pounding him on the ground.  Masvidal landing a lot of punches on the ground. Pearson is in a lot of trouble.  Masvidal suplexed him into the cage and throwing all kinds of shots.  Pearson up and escaped.  Trading low kicks.  Masvidal landing punches.  Masvidal with a low kick taking Pearson down.  Masivadal threw a kick but Pearson took him down off it, but Masvidal back up.  Spin kick to the body by Masvidal.  Masvidal with a  left.  Pearons with a low kick.  Masvidal 10-8 so 20-17 after  two rounds.

Third round:  Pearson landing low kicks and some punches.  Masvidal’s right leg is a mess.  Pearson landed a left. Jumping knee and body kick by Masvidal.  Pearson with a left.  Body kick by Masvidal and Pearson with a body kick.  Close round, could go to Pearson actually.  Masvidal 29-27.

Scores:    29-28, 29-28, 30-27 Masvidal.  Not one judge gave round two a 10-8.  The scoring is so inconsistent. 

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
(#11) NIKITA KRYLOV (20-4, 5-2 UFC) VS. ED HERMAN (23-11 1 NC, 10-7 1 NC UFC)

First round:   Krylov landed a  few punches and a kick to the body.  Now they’re in a clinch.  Body kick by Krylov.  Herman back with punches.  Krylov with body kicks.  Krylov with a body kick and Herman with left.  Herman with two more punches.  Herman dropped him with a punch.  Krylov back up  and landed a high kick and knee and both throwing punches.  Herman with a knee.  Herman with a kick.  Krylov landing kicks and punches again.  Herman bleeding.  Krylov landing more punches.  Herman cut under the left eye.  Another head kick by Krylov.  Both trading.  Krylov 10-9,

Second round:  Spinning backfirst  by Krylov but Herman back with two punches and a knee to the head.  Krylov in an exchange landed a perfect high kick to the neck for the knockout.  :40

MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

FLYWEIGHTS
RYAN BENOIT (8-4, 1-2 UFC) VS. FREDY SERRANO (3-0, 2-0 UFC)

First round:  Serrano is a high level wrestler but just starting out at 36 years old.  Both threw low kicks is at the same time.  Serrano nailed him with a roundhouse right.  Body kick by Serrano .  High slam by Serrano into side control.  Benoit back up.  Benoit dropped him with  a punch and Benoit had a guillotine.  Serrano took him down into side control.  Benoit back up.  Benoit with a right.  Both swinging wildly.  Right by Serrano.  Body kick by Benoit.  Ax kick by Serrano.  Body kick and punches by Benoit.  10-9 Benoit.

Second round:  Ax kick by Serrano.  Serrano with a sidewalk slam and now on top.  Benoit back up.  Serrano bleeding now.  Serrano tried a takedown but Benoit moved away.  Serrano took him down into side control.  Serrano  dropping his hip on Benoit’s face with is legal.  Benoit back up just as the round ended.  Serrano’s round so 19-19 after two.

Third round:  Serrano took him down right away.   Crowd starting to boo.  The ref stood them up as Serrano wasn’t doing a lot at the top.  Serrano went for a takedown and got a knee to the face by Benoit who is now on top.  Serrano back up.  Serrano did a somersault Lucha roll.  Serrano tried a takedown but  Benoit escaped.  Body kick by Serrano.  Serrano crawled under his legs, so weird.  Benoit jumped over him.  Benoit with a body kick.  Benoit landed a right.  Benoit 29-28.

Scores:  29-28 Serrano 29-28 Benoit 29-28 Benoit

BANTAMWEIGHTS
FRANCISCO RIVERA (11-6 1 NC, 4-5 1 NC UFC) VS. ERIK PEREZ (15-6, 5-2 UFC)

First round:  Rivera landed punches.  Left by Rivera.  Perez with low kick and body kick.  Rivera threw a kick but Perez caught the leg and threw a few punches.  Both trade d punches.  Perez took him down but Rivera back up  Rivera landed  a good punch and Perez with a low kick and body kick.  Good left by Rivera.  Close round 10-9 Rivera.

Second round:  Both dancing around.  Perez with a spinning backfist.  Both missing.  Body kick by Perez.  Perez went for a takedown and didn’t get it.  Rivera is bleeding from the right side of the head from a spinning elbow.  Body kick by Perez.  Perez tried a takedown.  Rivera landed punches.  Rivera landed a punch.  Low kick by Perez.  Right by Rivera.  Perez got the takedown.  Perez’s round so 19-19 after two.

Third round:    Both came out swinging .  Rivera is getting the better of it.  Perez dropped him.  This was unreal.  Rivera  threw a punch and was so exhausted he went down.  Perez took him down.  Perez with an elbow.  Perez landing a lot of body punches on the ground.  Perez landing a lot of body punches.  The fans are booing and wanting a standup.  Perez landing more body punches.  Perez landing more body shots.  Rivera up but he’s exhausted.  You could go 10-8 Perez 29-27.  Perez has to win the decision.

Scores:  30-26, 30-26 and 29-28 Perez

WELTERWEIGHTS
(#9) MATT BROWN (20-14, 13-8 UFC) VS. JAKE ELLENBERGER (30-11, 9-7 UFC)

First round:  Jake decked him right away with a right and is pounding him on the ground.  Ellenberger landing good shots.  Brown is up and threw him.  Ellenberger hurt him bad with a liver kick and he’s pounding on Brown and it’s over.  1:46

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS
(#3) ROSE NAMAJUNAS (5-2, 3-1 UFC) VS. (#5) KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ (9-0, 2-0 UFC)

First round:  Right by Namajunas.  Not much happening.  Nice left by Namajunas.  Karolina landing some punches as well.  Front kick by Karolina.  Head kick by Karolina.  Namajunas landed a nice punch.  Karolina landing knees.  Namajuans went for a hip toss and is on top  Close round.  10-9 Namajunas.

Second round:  Knees and elbows by Karolina.  Karolina with a knee from the clinch.  Both in fighting.  Karolina landing elbows.  Both trading punches now.  Namajunas landed a good shot.  Karolina back with low kicks.  Both landing punches.  Front kick by Namajunas put her down.  Karolina landed good punches.  Karolina with a clinch and knees.  Karolina with another rknee.  Karolina so 19-19 after two.

Third round:  Karolina landing punches from the clinch and hurt Namajunas with a right that put her down.   Namajunas tried for an armbar.  Karolina with punches from the top.  She spun to escape a leglock attempt and landed more punches.  Namajunas with two up kicks.  Namajunas tried a triangle but doesn’t have it.  Karolina with more punches.  Both trading punches as the match ended.  Karolina’s round for sure 29-28.

Scores:   29-28 Namajunas 29-28 Kowalkiewicz 29-28 Kowalkiewicz

Kowalkiewicz will get a shot at Joanna for the title.  She said she knows Joanna and respects her very much and said Joanna was the best but she would beat the best.

UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
(C) ROBBIE LAWLER (27-10 1 NC, 12-4 UFC) VS. (#4) TYRON WOODLEY (15-3, 5-2 UFC)

First round:   Robbie chants.  Woodley threw big punches.  Woodley pressed him into the fence.  DanMiragliotta broke them up.  Body kick by Lawler.  Woodley landed a right to th jaw and finished him on the ground immediately.  2:12

UFC 201 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The Octagon returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2012 on Saturday for UFC 201 from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The fight card, live on pay-per-view, is headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout as champion Robbie Lawler makes his third title defense, this time defending against challenger Tyron Woodley.

Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when making your daily fantasy line-ups for Saturday’s UFC 201 event.

STUDS

Matt Brown ($10,900)

Matt Brown has the second-highest salary of the 24 fighters on the card despite having lost three of his last four fights. That says a lot about his opponent at UFC 201 on Saturday night, Jake Ellenberger, who has lost two straight and five of his last six fights. This is a big fight for both men who are in desperate need of a win, especially Ellenberger, who could be cut if he were to lose again.

Brown is a little more safe in the division, especially considering his last three losses have come to the likes of Robbie Lawler, Johny Hendricks and Demian Maia. Brown is much more dangerous at this stage as Ellenberger has clearly lost a step. Ellenberger has been finished in four of his last six losses, and if his opponents in his two losses by decision had fought with more aggression, he could’ve been stopped in those. Brown is by no means a fighter incapable of being finished as ten of his 14 losses have come by submission, but he has never been knocked out.

These two will likely throw a lot of punches and bring an entertaining fight and Brown is the favorite in this one. I really like his chances in finishing Ellenberger, and making Brown my top play is more picking against Ellenberger than picking for Brown. Roll with him as one of your top plays.

Robbie Lawler ($10,600)

Robbie Lawler makes his third defense of the UFC Welterweight Championship in the main event of UFC 201 on Saturday as he defends against Tyron Woodley. Lawler has been in a lot of classic bouts over the last few years, including two fights winning “Fight Of The Year”, and another potential winner of that award this year in his successful, albeit close, win over Carlos Condit in January.Woodley isn’t a fighter that screams excitement, but Lawler is going to make it a fun one.

Since returning to the UFC in 2013, Lawler has landed the most significant strikes in UFC competition. However, he has also absorbed the most significant strikes in UFC competition during that same period. Woodley is more of a wrestler than a striker, and he may be unwilling to go toe-to-toe with Lawler on the feet for a significant portion of the fight. Lawler also has strong takedown defense so this will likely be contested mostly on the feet. I can see a situation where Lawler finishes Woodley in the later rounds, as Woodley has only been in one five-round fight in his career, and in that one, he was finished in the fourth round by Nate Marquardt after getting tired.

Roll with Lawler as one of your top plays as I see him getting a lot of points, especially as the fight drags deeper into the 25 minutes.

VALUE PLAYS

Ed Herman ($9,200)

Ed Herman just recently celebrated ten years with the UFC and he is looking to celebrate on Saturday night as he looks to score his second straight win as he takes on Nikita Krylov. This is also Herman’s second time competing as a light heavyweight after spending his first 17 UFC bouts as a middleweight, and he looked good at the new weight class when he knocked out Tim Boetsch in January.

Herman is the very definition of a gatekeeper in the UFC, but not many of those have a ten-year career with the promotion. Krylov has shown to be a solid rising contender in a 205-pound division that really needs it, but at the same time, the opponents he has beaten are lower on the totem pole than Herman. Herman is the most experienced opponent he has fought inside the Octagon and Krylov is going to have to test the durability of Herman. Herman is solid on his feet and good in the clinch, but he will have to avoid the crafty submissions of Krylov. Herman has the chance to step up and ruin the rising status of Krylov, and he has a very good shot of scoring the upset based on experience.

Herman’s salary makes him an intriguing addition to your roster and I see very good value in him.

Bojan Velickovic ($8,900)

Bojan Velickovic is looking to end the undefeated mark of Michael Graves when they meet in the featured preliminary bout on UFC Fight Pass at UFC 201. Velickovic is a former top prospect from the American Top Team camp, and Graves is now one of the top prospects from that camp. Velickovic is a big welterweight and will have the size advantage over Graves, and he has almost three times the amount of experience in professional competition over Graves.

Graves is a solid wrestler who likes to take control from the top position, and he can score some points with takedowns. Velickovic is stronger on the feet and he has dangerous submissions, and if he finds himself on the bottom for a long time, he can find submission attempts there. Both men are finishers as Graves has scored five of his six career wins by stoppage, and Velickovic has scored eleven of his 14 wins by stoppage. Neither man has been finished in their careers and Velickovic is looking to hand Graves his first loss.

This card screams a lot of decisions, and Velickovic may not be able to stop Graves, but at his salary, he is a good underdog bet to win on Saturday, and you have to roll your roster with a couple of underdogs. He is a solid one.

FIGHTERS TO AVOID

Jorge Masvidal ($10,700)

I’m going to start this off by saying I think Jorge Masvidal gets the win on Saturday night. He actually came on this card on late notice, but his opponent, Ross Pearson, is coming in on even shorter notice and has already fought once this month. Pearson lost a decision to Will Brooks on July 8, and now he returns quickly, and moves up a weight class looking to bounce back. Neither man have had a lot of consistency in recent times as Pearson is just 4-5 in his last nine fights and Masvidal is 1-3 in his last four.

Both men have their backs against the wall and desperately need a win. Pearson at his $8,700 salary makes an interesting value and underdog play, but his quick turnaround of 22 days is going to be tough to overcome. He didn’t take a lot of damage from Brooks, but Brooks still wore him down, and Brooks and Masvidal are actually teammates, so Masvidal’s coaches already have their gameplan down. I don’t see either man finishing the other, and I sense a close fight.

With Masvidal’s salary being so high, while I think he gets the win, it is just too much to justify when there are better options at similar salaries. I’m recommending passing on Masvidal on this card.

Ryan Benoit ($9,500)

Ryan Benoit is taking his fight at UFC 201 on Saturday on very late notice as he steps in on just over a week’s notice to take on undefeated Fredy Serrano in a bout that was moved up to the main card after some last-minute changes. Benoit has three appearances inside the Octagon, going 1-2 in those bouts. That actually equals the overall career experience held in MMA by Serrano, who is 3-0 in his young career.

Serrano has a lot of competition experience though as he is an Olympic wrestler and a former medalist in the Pan Am Games. He may be inexperienced, but he has scored three stoppage wins in his young career. He has scored knockout wins in his two UFC bouts and he is developing into a power striker. Benoit is a good kickboxer and has scored seven of his eight wins by knockout, and he has yet to be finished in his career by knockout.

Benoit coming in on the short notice puts him at a disadvantage, and I don’t think his skills can match those of Serrano. Serrano should be able to take him down and is a good bet to score a finish. I’m avoiding Benoit on this card.

OUR LINE-UPS

RYAN FREDERICK- Matt Brown ($10,900), Robbie Lawler ($10,600), Fredy Serrano ($9,900), Francisco Rivera ($9,700), Bojan Velickovic ($8,900)

I like Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler as my studs on this card, and they are my top two plays, and I’m having both of them on my roster. Jake Ellenberger looks washed up and Brown is a bringer of violence, plus Brown needs this win if he ever has any thoughts of challenging for a title someday. I see him finishing Ellenberger in the second round. Lawler always has great fights and while Tyron Woodley is a big challenge, Lawler can overcome it and wear down Woodley into a finish in the later rounds.

I like Fredy Serrano against a late replacement in Ryan Benoit, and Serrano is a powerhouse at 125 pounds. Francisco Rivera is an exciting bantamweight who throws down, and is in a must-win situation, so I see him taking chances and looking for the finish of Erik Perez. Bojan Velickovic is my last roster member. I think he has the best chance at the underdog win and finish, and you have to have two of those on your roster. I see him as the best value.

PAUL FONTAINE- Matt Brown ($10,900),  Damian Grabowski ($10,000), Fredy Serrano ($9,900), Damien Brown ($9,800). Ed Herman ($9,200)

Matt Brown is a no-brainer for me. His opponent Jake Ellenberger is pretty much done and Brown has a chip on his shoulder and feels he has something to prove. I think he gets a first round stoppage here. Grabowski should submit Hamilton in the first or second round. Serrano is old in age but young in fighting age and should rack up his fourth straight stoppage win in a fight just added to the main card.

Damien Brown is a fun fighter and while I don’t know much about his debuting opponent, Brown had 5 straight stoppage wins prior to losing his UFC debut and I like him to get back to his winning ways on Saturday night. I really wanted Nikita Krylov on my team but I couldn’t fit him in under the cap so I’m going with his opponent Ed Herman. Herman is a battle-tested vet who still has the ability to stop anyone. A lot of vets have been scoring surprising wins of late and I hope Herman is the next one to do it.

PEACH MACHINE- Matt Brown ($10,900), Jorge Masvidal ($10,700), Erik Perez ($9,700), Ryan Benoit ($9,500), Tyron Woodley ($9,000)

This is a bad styles fight for Lawler. I expect T-Wood to employ the same strategy he used to bore us to death against Gastelum. I wouldn’t be surprised to see T-Wood do just enough to win the strap. Brown is a killer and Ellenberger always disappoints. I like Brown to finish. I really think Masvidal is going to be a contender at 170 and Pearson just fought less than a month ago. Perez is tough and is going to be in a war. I expect a lot of points from him.

Same thought for Benoit, but Benoit is taking the fight on short notice, although now days, 72 hours is the industry minimum. I don’t really feel good about this card. Last card I went 5-0. I’m not expecting that again.

UFC News: Cyborg likely to return in July, DJ to defend flyweight title

Posted on by Josh Nason

Wednesday’s UFC Tonight was full of news on upcoming fights, some of the ‘Wow!’ variety and some of the ‘Meh’ variety. 

UFC 201

With UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler set to return to action at Atlanta’s UFC 201 (July 30) against Tyron Woodley, the rest of the main card is starting to take shape with a new title match and another catchweight fight featuring a female destroyer of worlds.

In the co-main event, flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will defend against #6 ranked Wilson Reis, he of the one-fight win streak. 3-1 as a flyweight, he’s essentially filling a role here as Johnson wants to continue to fight frequently in an effort to break Anderson Silva’s consecutive title defense streak. He’s at 8 right now and with Reis and a December title defense against a TUF winner on the docket, 10 looks to be an easy bet.

While the flyweights haven’t done much for the box office, UFC is hoping their next female breakout star will help as they are working on Cris Cyborg vs. Germaine de Randamie at a 140-pound catchweight fight on that Atlanta show. Cyborg wasted no time in dispatching Leslie Smith at UFC 198 in her Octagon debut while de Randamie picked up a big win in front of her hometown fans in Rotterdam a few weeks ago.

On Twitter, Cyborg is denying it vehemently in both English and Portguese.

Assuming those are the top three fights and considering the event falls in the UFC 200 afterglow, there’s not going to be a lot of buzz for this show with this promotionally low-key cast of characters involved. 

UFC Fight Night South Dakota

The July 13th event headlined by an awesome lightweight tilt in Michael Chiesa vs. Tony Ferguson got a sweet co-main event as bantamweight contenders Michael McDonald and John Lineker will do battle. McDonald returned after a two-year absence in January and submitted Masanori Kanehara in the second round, while Lineker won an entertaining decision over Rob Font at UFC 198 last Saturday.

Other Stuff

UFC is looking to bring an event to Cleveland, OH, this September and have heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic as the headliner. If that comes to pass and Alistair Overeem gets the opportunity, there goes The Reem’s plans to be on the November MSG show.