The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) went back to Atlanta, GA for the third time in promotional history for UFC 201: Lawler vs Woodley. The entertaining night of scraps saw five of 11 fights end inside the distance. After the event concluded, the UFC awarded $50,000 to two fighters for ‘Performance of the Night’ and two fighters for ‘Fight of the Night’. The lines to wager on these props were available at Several Bookmakerss. Tyron Woodley earns Performance of the Night honors for his first round knockout of Robbie Lawler. There was hardly any action in the bout until Woodley landed the fight ending blow, dethroning Lawler in highlight reel fashion and crowning himself the new UFC welterweight champion. Jake Ellenberger earns Performance of the Night honors for his first round TKO of Matt Brown on the evening’s main card. “The Juggernaut” hurt and nearly finished Brown with his hands, but “The Immortal” survived until a kick to the body moments later did him in. Ellenberger turned back the clock and bounced back into the win column in arguably the best performance of his Octagon career. Fight fans certainly look forward to seeing “Jake 2.0” back inside the Octagon. Other noteworthy performances: – Nikita Krylov defeated Ed Herman via headkick knockout in the second round of action. In my opinion, this was the best finish of the night, so it upsets me that Krylov did not get a bonus; largely in part for this being his fifth straight finish inside the Octagon with zero collected bonus money. Woodley and Ellenberger both delivered excellent finishes, but I think it is tough to argue that Krylov’s was the most beautiful of the night. – Anthony Hamilton lived up to his “Freight Train” moniker by making quick work of Polish heavyweight Damian Grabowski, putting him away via knockout at just 14 seconds into the opening stanza. – Wilson Reis accepted a fight against Hector Sandoval on short notice when his original scheduled opponent, UFC 125-pound champ Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson withdrew from the bout due to injury. The Brazilan made quick work of the Brazilian newcomer, taking him to the mat and securing a rear naked choke submission in just less than two minutes into the contest. – Damien Brown defeated Paraguay’s Cesar Arzamendia via first round knockout, picking up his first Octagon victory in impressive, highlight-reel fashion. The bout made the evening’s Pay Per View following the Lawler vs Woodley main event. Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Rose Namajunas earn Fight of the Night honors for their three round battle in the co-main event for uFC 201 in Atlanta. The first round was very close but Namajunas appeared to steal it with a late takedown. The tides took a turn in the second, as Kowalkiewicz started to find her rhythm and start doing damage from close distance. The third round was more of the same and Kowalkiewicz was ultimately rewarded a decision victory when all was said and done; however, one judge felt Namajunas had done enough to secure two rounds, as Kowalkiewicz took the victory via split decision. She remains undefeated and hopes to challenge “Joanna Champion” for her UFC 115-pound crown in a battle of undefeated Polish strikers. Other noteworthy fight(s): – Erik Perez defeated Francisco Rivera via unanimous decision. – The aforementioned Krylov vs Herman bout. – Jorge Masvidal defeated Ross Pearson via unanimous decision. – The aforementioned Brown vs Arzamendia bout.
