Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring and play-by-play as the UFC 201 pay-per-view (PPV) card goes off from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
American Top Team teammates "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley will battle for the UFC welterweight championship in the main event. Strawweight Rose Namajunas will assert her creative brand of aggression against former KSW flyweight champion Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the co-main. Rounding out the five-fight PPV roster is a violence-promising welterweight contest with Matt Brown and Jake Ellenberger, a featherweight tilt pitting Erik Perez vs. Francisco Rivera and flyweights Ryan Benoit vs. Fredy Serrano.
Live coverage will commence with the PPV broadcast at 10 p.m. ET. The full schedule and lineup follows. Check out this week's MMA Vivisection for UFC 201 predictions, analysis and betting odds.
Main Card
(PPV, 10 p.m. ET)
Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley
R1: The first exchange comes nearly a minute deep as Woodley follows a right hand into the clinch. They're separated unusually fast by ref Dan Miragliotta. After another uneventful spurt, Woodley lunges forward with a scorching right hook that lays Lawler down. Lawler starts to sit up but Woodley stiffens him up with two more jackhammer rights.
Tyron Woodley defeats Robbie Lawler by KO (punches) R1 2:12
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Rose Namajunas
R1: Outside low kick lands light for Namajunas. Kowalkiewicz answers with one of her own. Slick counter knee to the body from Kowalkiewicz but Namajunas lands a right hand at the same time. Kowalkiewicz scores with an outside low kick and Namajunas answers with a long right upstairs. Outside low kick from Namajunas followed by a left hook.
Glancing right to the head from Namajunas. And another. Another right down the middle for "Thug Rose." She lands an outside low kick but loses her balance afterwards, and Kowalkiewicz lands two short punches to the head. Glancing left high kick from Kowalkiewicz. Clean check hook lands for Namajunas. Now an outside low kick. Namajunas is angling off-center to evade and set up counters. Kowalkiewicz forces a clinch and lands a pair of knees to the body. Kowalkiewicz hits a body-lock takedown, then denies back control for Kowalkiewicz. 10-9 Namajunas.
R2: Kowalkiewicz barrels into the clinch, scoring with two clean knees to the body and two elbows to the head. Namajunas circles her onto the fence but eats another knee downstairs, then another elbow. Namajunas clasps her hands with a body lock but Kowalkiewicz breaks it. Namajunas lands a left to the body but Kowalkiewicz doubles up on knees. Now an elbow and another knee from Kowalkiewicz. Namajunas slips under the arm but can't secure the rear waist cinch.
Kowalkiewicz clocks her with another stiff elbow on the clinch break. Namajunas dings her with a one-two and Kowalkiewicz answers with a pair of outside low kicks. Kowalkiewicz lands a right hand but Namajunas sends her to the mat with a front-leg teep. They clinch as Kowalkiewicz's getting back up and Namajunas puts her on the fence. Two more knees to the body from Kowalkiewicz. Kowalkiewicz with an uppercut and a right hand. Lead jab is there for Kowalkiewicz, who follows with a clinch and more knees from the double collar tie. Kowalkiewicz continues to hold her ground and pelt Namajunas with short punches and knees anytime she closes range. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
R3: Kowalkiewicz trudges into the clinch fearlessly to land another duplex of knees to the body. Namajunas dodges the next flurry of knees and lands an overhand right. Light outside low kick lands for Namajunas. Namajunas lands a short right but she can't get the takedown. Kowalkiewicz barges forward with heavy punches and lands a few knees to the body, then bowls Namajunas over with two more right hands.
Kowalkiewicz lands in the full guard of Namajunas, who angles for an armbar. Kowalkiewicz postures up to avoid it, then fends off Namajunas' transition into a leg lock. Slap elbows to the thighs and body from Kowalkiewicz on top. Namajunas slings a leg over for a triangle attempt, then tries to flow into an omoplata but it's all defended by Kowalkiewicz, who pelts Namajunas with short shots. They trade punches in the final seconds before the horn sounds. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz. I have it 29-28 Kowalkiewicz.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz defeats Rose Namajunas by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Matt Brown vs. Jake Ellenberger
R1: Ellenberger steps forward, lowers his head and flattens Brown with a one-one-two. Ellenberger pounces on Brown, landing a knee to the body. Brown works back to his feet but eats another big shot. Brown finally creates some space with a sneaky foot sweep that throws Ellenberger off balance. Brown forces a clinch and glances with a knee to the body. Brown dings him with a long right to the chin and Ellenberger might be a bit dazed.
Brown is now walking Ellenberger down and looking to flurry when he's cornered. Ellenberger, with his back on the fence, steps into a left round kick that sinks deep into the body, and Brown goes down again. Ellenberger swarms him, coaxing the stoppage after a few hammer-fists to the head of the turtled Brown.
Jake Ellenberger defeats Matt Brown by TKO (body kick/strikes) R1 1:46
Erik Perez vs. Francisco Rivera
R1: Rivera gets off first with a short right to the head. Glancing outside low kick from Perez but Rivera tags him with a left hook. Perez lands short on a lead shovel punch. Perez, using a lot of lateral movement, scores with a counter right hook. They exchange punches but Perez closes his combo with a low kick.
Perez traps a right kick but can't convert the takedown. Lead right to the body lands for Perez and he follows behind it with a double-leg takedown. Rivera pops back up to his feet and Perez keeps him on the cage. They both land shots on the break but Perez skips into range with a jump knee that finds Rivera's chin. Rivera touches him with a clean counter left hook. 10-10.
R2: Perez chops out the footing of Rivera with an inside low kick but Rivera gets back up quickly. They trade kicks. Rivera unloads two right hands as Perez throws a spinning back fist and the latter glances upstairs. Perez lands a kick to the sternum with his toes. Rivera denies a takedown easily but can't land clean with his counter flurry.
Blood is streaming down the right side of Rivera's face. Perez, whether intentionally or not, lands a spinning elbow to the chin at close range. Perez hits a takedown but Rivera bounces back up, negating it. Rivera glances with a low kick but can't connect with his hands. Quick lead right is there for Rivera. Perez digs into the inner thigh with a cleaving low kick, and it causes Rivera to wince and suck in a deep breath. Perez closes the round by finishing a takedown. 10-9 Perez.
R3: Violence erupts early in the final stanza: they meet in the center trading outrageous salvos of fists and knees. Rivera off-balances Perez, perhaps with sheer aggression, then drops him with a punch. Perez wobbles Rivera with a counter, then they just keep throwing hell at each other. Rivera, perhaps out of pure exhaustion, launches a final combo and then decides to take a seat.
Perez gladly accepts top position and starts hammering away with right hands to the ribs. Rivera now glances up at the ref, silently hoping for a stand up. Perez wails away with right hands to the ribs to persuade the ref otherwise. Rivera sits his back up on the fence but Perez triangles his legs, pinching Rivera's legs together to prevent the escape. Rivera gets back to his feet with 30 seconds left and they separate with 15 on the clock. Perez lands an inside low kick. 10-9 Perez. I have it 30-28 Perez.
Erik Perez defeats Francisco Rivera by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 29-28)
Ryan Benoit vs. Fredy Serrano
R1: Serrano lands a right round kick to the body. They throw low kicks simultaneously and Benoit's knocks Serrano off balance. Serrano comes up short on an axe kick attempt. Sharp body kick from Serrano, who dodges Benoit's counter after delivering it. Serrano catches a kick and converts it into a successful single leg, landing in side mount. Benoit gets half guard and cleverly forces a scramble, using the open space to escape.
Benoit plugs Serrano with a left hook but Serrano responds with another power takedown. Benoit works back to his feet and puts Serrano on the cage with an under-hook. Hard right from Benoit in the clinch, then another. Left body kick from Benoit, which draws a smile from Serrano. Chopping outside low kick now from Benoit, who's building momentum late in the round. Serrano shoots a double leg that's easily stuffed by Benoit. Serrano glances with the axe kick this time. Benoit closes the round chasing Serrano down with big right hands. 10-9 Benoit.
R2: Serrano half-commits on a single leg and then glances with a right upstairs. Serrano is short on another axe kick attempt and Benoit catches him with a counter left hook. Serrano shoots a takedown but settles for pushing Benoit onto the fence. Benoit counters with a guillotine to force a separation, and Serrano lands the axe kick on the break.
Benoit applies a guillotine as Serrano advances with his head down, then jumps guard with it, allowing Serrano to bury him into the canvas with a powerful takedown. Benoit works his way free again and Serrano comes up with a bloody gash in the upper-center of his forehead. Benoit lands an outside low kick. Serrano closes the distance and dumps Benoit with a double leg, landing in side control. Serrano moves to north-south and lands some questionable "hip strikes" to the head of Benoit. 10-9 Serrano.
R3: Serrano hits an early takedown but they're stood up 90 seconds in for inactivity. Serrano tries some kind of mysterious forward-roll attack; Benoit throws a knee that lands oddly to the body before taking top position. Serrano escapes back to his feet and flails with another unknown forward-roll technique, the true essence of which is yet to be revealed.
Benoit glances with a spinning back fist on the clinch break. Benoit hops over Serrano's awkward, low-hovering takedown attempt (he's breaking a lot of new ground tonight). Benoit chops out Serrano's lead leg with a sharp outside low kick. Benoit digs a few hard lefts to the ribs of Serrano, then wallops him with a right hand. Weird-ass fight. 10-9 Benoit. I have it 29-28 Benoit.
Ryan Benoit defeats Freddy Serrano by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
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