TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS HEADLINE THE UFC’S RETURN TO ATLANTA
(C) ROBBIE LAWLER vs. (#3) TYRON WOODLEY
(C) DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON vs. (#8) WILSON REIS
(#8) MATT BROWN vs. JAKE ELLENBERGER
(#3) ROSE NAMAJUNAS vs. (#6) KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ
TICKETS FOR UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY
AT PHILIPS ARENA ON SALE FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Atlanta — Two world titles are on the line Saturday, July 30 at Philips Arena when the UFC® returns to Atlanta for the first time since 2012. One of the most exciting champions in UFC history returns to the Octagon® as welterweight kingpin Robbie Lawler looks to defend his title for the third time when he meets Tyron Woodley in the five-round main event. The co-main event of UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY features Demetrious Johnson, the only flyweight champion in UFC history, against Wilson Reis who looks to upset one of the most dominant champions in UFC history.
This showdown for the welterweight crown between Lawler (26-10, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) and Woodley (15-3, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) pits two of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC against one another as they have combined for 20 first-round finishes. To raise the stakes, both men also train out of the American Top Team camp, widely considered one of the best gyms in the world. Lawler, who is coming off two of the best fights in division history against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit, packs a heavy punch and has finished 20 of 26 pro victories by knockout. A two-time NCAA Div. I All-American wrestler, Woodley will need to use his smothering ground attack to counter the world-class striking of the champion.
In the co-main event, Johnson (24-2-1, fighting out of Parkland, Wash.) will put his flyweight title on the line against No. 8 contender Reis (20-6, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.). “Mighty Mouse” is ranked No. 2 on the pound-for-pound list and his eight title defenses are tied with Jon Jones for the third most in UFC history (St–Pierre – 9, A. Silva – 10). He will be challenged by Reis who has nine wins by submission – six in the first round. The Brazilian moved to the flyweight division in the summer of 2014 and has won three of his last four fights.
Also, two of the welterweight division’s most experienced fighters collide when No. 8 Matt Brown (22-14, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) meets Jake Ellenberger (30-11, fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif.). These two dominant strikers have combined for 33 knockouts making this bout an early favorite for Fight of the Night.
Additional bouts:
- Electrifying No. 3 strawweight contender Rose Namajunas (6-2, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) fights the versatile and undefeated No. 6 Karolina Kowalkiewicz (9-0, fighting out of Lodz, Poland).
- Two striking specialists clash in a bantamweight bout when Francisco Rivera, (11-6, fighting out of Buena Park, Calif.) meets Erik Perez (15-6, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.).
- 11 light heavyweight contender Nikita Krylov (20-4, fighting out of Donetsk, Ukraine) faces seasoned veteran Ed Herman (24-11, fighting out of Portland, Ore.)
- Knockout artist Anthony Hamilton (14-5, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) squares off against heavyweight finisher Damian Grabowski (20-3, fighting out of Opole, Poland).
- Undefeated American Top Team welterweight Michael Graves (6-0, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) meets submission specialist Bojan Velickovic (14-3, fighting out of Denver, Colo.).
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Claudio Silva (11-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) takes on heavy-handed Siyar Bahadurzada (22-6-1, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) in a 170-pound bout.
- Paraguayan newcomer Cesar Arzamendia (7-3, fighting out of Asuncion, Paraguay) collides with well-rounded Damien Brown (15-9, fighting out of Brisbane, Australia) in a lightweight showdown.
Tickets for UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY go on sale Friday, June 10 at 10 a.m. ET and are priced at $354, $254, $179, $129, $94, $79 and $54 (prices do not include applicable service charges and handling fees). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.
UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, June 8 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, June 9 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY will be available live on Pay-Per-View on Saturday, July 30 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Vubiquity, and in Canada on BellTV, Rogers, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Canal Indigo for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for High-Definition.
About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories to more than one billion TV households worldwide in 21 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter and Instagram: @UFC.
About Philips Arena
Home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, Philips Arena hosts approximately 160 events and 1.6 million guests annually. With a capacity of more than 18,000 visitors, the venue is consistently ranked among the top 10 concert and event venues in the world. Philips, the arena’s naming partner, is a diversified technology company, focused on improving people’s lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of healthcare, consumer lifestyle and lighting. For more information on Philips Arena, log on to www.philipsarena.com today or follow us on twitter @PhilipsArena
