# UFC 201
**UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley** was a mixed martial arts event held by the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) on Saturday, July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, headlined by a UFC welterweight title fight in which [Tyron Woodley](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyron-woodley) knocked out champion [Robbie Lawler](https://www.edgepedia.org/robbie-lawler) in the first round.[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-201) The event was the first the promotion staged after its purchase by the Hollywood entertainment conglomerate WME-IMG, announced the day before.[2](https://slite.dma.mil/issues/jul2016/20160731.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | Saturday, July 30, 2016, Philips Arena, Atlanta, United States[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-201) |
| Main event | Tyron Woodley def. Robbie Lawler by KO (punch) at 2:12 of round 1 to win the UFC welterweight title[3](https://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/effd9de9937996f8) |
| Significance of finish | Fastest finish in UFC Welterweight Championship history; Woodley became the 9th undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-201-final-results-and-news-atlanta) |
| Co-main event | Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Rose Namajunas by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-201-final-results-and-news-atlanta) |
| Broadcast | Main card on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET; prelims on FOX Sports 2 at 8 p.m. ET and UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/807/ufc-201-lawler-vs-woodley) |
| Atlanta context | The UFC's first event in Georgia's capital since UFC 145 in April 2012[6](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-201-Update-BahadurzadaHannibal-BrownArzamendia-Booked-for-July-30-104899) |
## Main event: Woodley vs. Lawler
The headliner matched welterweight (170-pound) champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler against the No. 1 contender "The Chosen One" Tyron Woodley, with the added complication that both trained at [American Top Team](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-top-team) in Coconut Creek, Florida.[7](https://www.ufc.com/news/att-chief-lambert-breaks-down-ufc-201-main-event) Woodley had not fought since a January 2015 win over [Kelvin Gastelum](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelvin-gastelum), an absence of about a year and a half.[8](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/tyron-woodley-nocauteia-robbie-lawler-e-e-o-novo-campeao-dos-meio-medios)
**The finish.** Woodley pressured Lawler from the outset and never let him get settled. He feinted a right hand, Lawler's hand dropped, and Woodley landed an overhand right to the jaw that sent the champion to the mat; he followed with ground-and-pound until referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight.[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/31/12335078/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-knocks-out-robbie-lawler-claims) The official time was 2:12 of the first round.[3](https://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/effd9de9937996f8) Woodley became the 9th undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion, and the knockout stood as the fastest finish in UFC Welterweight Championship history.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-201-final-results-and-news-atlanta) It made Woodley the seventh new UFC champion crowned in as many months in 2016.[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/31/12335078/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-knocks-out-robbie-lawler-claims)
Lawler, who had held the belt for about a year and a half after returning to the UFC in 2013, declined to make excuses: "He feinted me, my hand was down and he came over the top and caught me."[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/31/12335078/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-knocks-out-robbie-lawler-claims) The loss ended a run in which Lawler had earned fight-of-the-night honors in his first two title defenses.[2](https://slite.dma.mil/issues/jul2016/20160731.pdf) Woodley said afterward that the fight was not one he would have picked, because Lawler was his teammate, but that he had pictured himself with the belt his whole life.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-201-final-results-and-news-atlanta)
## Co-main event: Kowalkiewicz vs. Namajunas
The women's strawweight bout between [Karolina Kowalkiewicz](https://www.edgepedia.org/karolina-kowalkiewicz) and [Rose Namajunas](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-namajunas) was billed as a potential title eliminator for the belt then held by Joanna Jedrzejczyk.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-201-final-results-and-news-atlanta) Namajunas took the opening round with in-and-out movement and a late takedown, but Kowalkiewicz was more effective in the clinch and against the fence in the second, landing hard knees and elbows.[10](https://www.ufc.com/news/atlanta-flashback-ufc-201)
Kowalkiewicz out-landed Namajunas 131 strikes to 79 and scored a significant knockdown in the third round, taking the split decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29.[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-201-final-results-and-news-atlanta) The win kept Kowalkiewicz undefeated in the UFC and positioned her for a strawweight title shot later that year.[11](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/ufc-201-fantasy-rewind-what-you-got-right-wrong)
## Rest of the card
**Main card.** [Jake Ellenberger](https://www.edgepedia.org/jake-ellenberger) upset Matt Brown, dropping him with a right hand inside five seconds and finishing him with a liver kick and ground-and-pound at 1:46 of round 1.[12](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/ufc/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-koncokout-video-vs-robbie-lawler-welterweight-title-first-round-a7164776.html) Erik Perez defeated Francisco Rivera by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28), and Ryan Benoit took a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) over Fredy Serrano in a flyweight bout.[12](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/ufc/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-koncokout-video-vs-robbie-lawler-welterweight-title-first-round-a7164776.html)
**Preliminaries.** [Nikita Krylov](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikita-krylov), the No. 11-ranked light heavyweight from Ukraine, scored a walk-off second-round knockout of veteran Ed Herman with a head kick, his fifth consecutive win.[10](https://www.ufc.com/news/atlanta-flashback-ufc-201) [Jorge Masvidal](https://www.edgepedia.org/jorge-masvidal) outpointed [Ross Pearson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ross-pearson) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in a bout in which Pearson survived a flash knockdown in the second round.[12](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/ufc/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-koncokout-video-vs-robbie-lawler-welterweight-title-first-round-a7164776.html) Wilson Reis submitted Hector Sandoval by rear-naked choke at 1:49 of round 1, moving to 21-6 while Sandoval fell to 12-3.[10](https://www.ufc.com/news/atlanta-flashback-ufc-201)
Two bouts ended without a winner. Welterweight prospects Michael Graves and Bojan Velickovic fought to a three-round draw, with scores of 28-28 twice and 30-27.[10](https://www.ufc.com/news/atlanta-flashback-ufc-201) In the opener, Australian lightweight Damien Brown knocked out Paraguay's Cesar Arzamendia at 2:27 of round 1 for his first UFC win, moving to 16-9 while Arzamendia fell to 7-4.[10](https://www.ufc.com/news/atlanta-flashback-ufc-201)
## Aftermath
The event capped a main card that fantasy players scored as filled with upsets, from Kowalkiewicz's decision over the favored Namajunas to Woodley's knockout of the champion.[11](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/ufc-201-fantasy-rewind-what-you-got-right-wrong) Woodley went on to defend the title against Stephen Thompson at [UFC 205](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-205) in November 2016, a five-round majority draw.[3](https://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/effd9de9937996f8) Kowalkiewicz later challenged Jedrzejczyk for the strawweight title at UFC 205 and lost by unanimous decision.[13](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2016/nov/14/kt.pdf)
## References
1. [UFC 201 | Lawler vs Woodley | UFC](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-201)
2. [STRIPES LITE, Sunday, July 31, 2016](https://slite.dma.mil/issues/jul2016/20160731.pdf)
3. [UFC Stats: Tyron Woodley fighter details](https://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/effd9de9937996f8)
4. [UFC 201 final results and news from Atlanta | UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-201-final-results-and-news-atlanta)
5. [UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley fight card, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/807/ufc-201-lawler-vs-woodley)
6. [UFC 201 Update: Bahadurzada-'Hannibal,' Brown-Arzamendia Booked for July 30, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-201-Update-BahadurzadaHannibal-BrownArzamendia-Booked-for-July-30-104899)
7. [ATT Chief Lambert Breaks Down UFC 201 Main Event | UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/att-chief-lambert-breaks-down-ufc-201-main-event)
8. [Tyron Woodley nocauteia Robbie Lawler e é o novo campeão dos meio-médios | UFC](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/tyron-woodley-nocauteia-robbie-lawler-e-e-o-novo-campeao-dos-meio-medios)
9. [UFC 201 results: Tyron Woodley knocks out Robbie Lawler, claims welterweight belt, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/7/31/12335078/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-knocks-out-robbie-lawler-claims)
10. [Atlanta Flashback: UFC 201 | UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/atlanta-flashback-ufc-201)
11. [UFC 201 Fantasy Rewind: What you got right & wrong | UFC](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/ufc-201-fantasy-rewind-what-you-got-right-wrong)
12. [UFC 201 results: Tyron Woodley stuns Robbie Lawler, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/ufc/ufc-201-results-tyron-woodley-koncokout-video-vs-robbie-lawler-welterweight-title-first-round-a7164776.html)
13. [Kuwait Times, November 14, 2016](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2016/nov/14/kt.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › UFC numbered events 101–200*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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