UFC 201: Why Lawler vs Woodley is a mirror image of Dillashaw vs Cruz.

UFC 200 turned out to be the opposite of what was promised. "The biggest event in company history." Well, yes. To an extent that is true, records were broken. Highest gate, and largest fight purse (awarded to Brock Lesnar.) But to say it fulfilled expectations would be laughable.

Out of the 12 promising bouts on the climatic card, not one left fans on the edge of their seat brimming with gratification. Oh, and I haven’t even got to the post fight stuff yet, but by now we all know about that, so I will spare you the time of day.

Now if we're discussing fights, or fighters that leave you clinching tightly to your chair with a face like Joe Rogan after Holm head kicked Rousey's lights out...we are talking about the infamous ruthless one... Robbie Lawler.

Lawler celebrates a victory in a bloody brawl

vs Rory McDonald last July.

Since becoming champion two December's ago, Lawler has deservedly become a fan favourite. Although his last four fights (bar UFC 189) have gone to decision, he has earned one fight of the year and two fight of the night bonuses. The so called 'king of round five' according to Robin Black, the welterweight champ is known for his tenacious 'I'm going to take your head off' approach in the fifth round. All guns blazing is not something you'd be surprised to see from Lawler, and so far his opponents have had no answer to his heavy haymakers of 'holy hell.'

The next 'friendly' foe who boldly steps up to face the 'soul taker', is none other than "The Chosen One" Tyron Woodley. Training at the same camp as Lawler, the pair have made it both clear that if it was no strap there would be no scrap, however as the strap is now on the line, the friendship is set aside.

While Woodley last stepped foot in the octagon 18 months ago, Lawler has defended his 170-pound gold twice. Why you ask? Well, unlike most situations, it wasn't an injury or a suspension that kept Woodley watching curiously from cage side. Originally, Woodley was set to fight Johny Hendricks back at UFC 192 last November, however Hendricks missed weight by twenty, yes that's right, twenty pounds and Woodley was promised a title fight would be next ever since.

Woodley's last fight came at UFC 183 last January.

A lot can happen in a year and a half off, just ask Dominick Cruz.

This fight is somewhat a reflection of when Cruz beat Dillashaw in January to become the bantamweight champion. Now of course, Lawler or Woodley do not have the pinpoint precise footwork of the likes of Cruz or Dillashaw, but it is not the characteristics of the fighters that are similar, in this case it is the scenario.

Dillashaw had put on two outstanding performances to defend the belt twice, but then lost it to a top competitor in Cruz who made his UFC return after 18 months.

Oh and by the way, Lawler has put on two thrilling title defences, and this weekend is about to face a welterweight great in Tyron Woodley, who (what a surprise) returns after an 18-month layoff. Coincidental? Or may I be a bit off topic? I guess we'll find out Saturday night.

Jon Jones Pulled from UFC 200: What Happens Now?

You know what.

Let's not even start with the pound for pound number one, because it is clear to many that not only does he not deserve that title anymore, but he doesn't deserve to be the focal point of discussion. Let's start with Daniel Cormier.

It goes without saying that there is not one male or female competitor within the UFC to this current day that can fully empathise with Cormier in this tragic moment. A feud in which DC truly, wholeheartedly believed he could lay his marker down on, is now out of the picture, and there is nothing Cormier can do about it.

Devastating is an understatement.

Back in April, Cormier was left shell-shocked that he (not Jones) was the one being booed at the UFC 200 Press Conference in Madison Square Garden. But, no-one really raised any eyebrows. We all knew the deal. Fans were sceptical about DC's belt because it was "not solidified" until he beat the champ who never lost the belt, Jones.

Fans who booed Cormier, have to now look back now in embarrassment. You boo a man who has never violated any form of drug testing, has never got himself in any trouble outside the octagon, and has never been defeated in the UFC by any man bar Jon Jones.

On the flip side of the coin, we come to the man of the hour. "Sexual Chocolate" "Bones" "JBJ" whatever you want to call him, for Jon Jones it is just another case of two steps forward, one step back.

A distraught Daniel Cormier addresses the media today
Credit: MMAFightingonSBN

Cormier had it all written out on the table. He predicted this drama would unfold yet again on countless occasions, but no-one really spared him any second look. "Mistakes, mistakes, you don't constantly make mistakes" Cormier said speaking on UFC Counterpunch last week. 

"Many times we've heard this speech. Why am I supposed to believe this guy?" Well DC, us UFC fans (at least myself for that sake) now repeat this question to ourselves when thinking about Jones. Too many times now, Jones has bit off more than he can chew. And if Jones stated that his hit-and-run incident last September left him at 'rock bottom', where he is going to be now? Bedrock? Please, spare me the excuses.

However, I'd be lying if I said my thoughts on Jones mimicked DC's. Cool calm and collected may be way to cliché, but seriously, Jones was almost in a 'state of zen' so to speak prior to this Saturday's fight. His laid back mannerisms at the press conferences won most of us over, and then boom. Just like that. It's gone, all gone.

The reason why no-one shared the same opinion as DC is because they didn't want to believe it. Why would fans want to think Jones will mess up again a few days prior to the biggest event UFC ever? Why would Dana or Lorenzo have any form of concern when everything was going smoothly and as planned? For Cormier, it was expected, but he just didn't know when it would occur.

I guess we now have our answer.

Records set to be broken, animosity begins to climb, sitting patiently for those two words, as Buffer yelps “it’s time!”

Three tantalizing title fights. The return of a global phenomenon. A chaotic card from head to toe. Each day, we step ever so closer to the “the biggest event in company history.”

To say the build up to UFC 200 has been frenetic would be an understatement. All it took was one tweet, which didn’t even come close to bypassing Twitter’s absurd 140 character-limit, to send not only the MMA world, but the whole sporting world into a rambunctious rampage. CNN, ESPN, BBC, FOX Sports, and monumental newspapers from over the globe (even the New York Times for God’s sake!) were all captivated by Conor McGregor’s retirement tweet. Now, there are two things which we evidently know about “The Notorious One.” Firstly, being he loves to cash pay checks, and secondly, he has a lust for breaking records. Ironically, his ‘retirement’ tweet did both. Whilst graciously thanking his fans for the “cheese”, his message was retweeted over 152,000 times, smashing fellow sports icon Kobe Bryant’s retirement tweet out of the water.

No-one predicted the flamboyant Irishman’s memo would of lead to such catastrophic repercussions. Denied a potential $10m payday, raucous rematch and an appearance at the UFC’s grandest event to date, it was surprisingly McGregor who had the last laugh. Putting on a brave face (but was undoubtedly turbulent inside!) president, Dana White, stood uncomfortably as he was heckled by an exasperated crowd after pulling McGregor from UFC 200.What makes the situation even more comical, is that they left an empty seat for the Irishman at the conference; if that is not shooting yourself in the foot, or rubbing salt in your wound, I don’t know what is.

McGregor's tweet which "broke the internet."

The hegemony of the so called ‘trash talker’ lives on again though. Once the pestering and pansiness had all boiled down, McGregor (to many bandwagoners disbelief) was reinstated and rewarded his re-match. Who said luck of the Irish was just a myth.

Wait a second, did I say the pansiness had all boiled down? Oh, forgive me. Because as we all know, this is the UFC, and the senseless squabbling never seems to stop simmering. Let’s cut to the chase, White has never had the most sentimental feelings towards Ariel Helwani, so if a chance arises to take a pop at him, you can be pretty sure that White’s dictator-like style is going to pounce at it.

This scenario could have never been so fitting last month at UFC 199. Minutes prior to Michael Bisping’s gold-claiming knockout over Luke Rockhold, Helwani’s career as a triumphant journalist was about to take a plunge for the worst (at least that’s what we all thought!) “Leaking” the McGregor fight had White peeved, but leaking the Brock fight drove Dana up the wall. Credentials taken, relationships ruined, Helwani left heartbroken. After two days of endless criticism from fans who were up in awe, Helwani (like McGregor) was reinstated to cover UFC events.

What a shock, the UFC backpedal on an irrational decision, who would have ever predicted that?!

After all the miscommunications, diversions and altercations, it looks like we at last have our ‘stacked’ UFC 200 card (although other may not feel as enthusiastic). What looked to be the most promising card in MMA (let alone UFC) history, has somewhat been overshadowed by the loss of “Cholo Gangster Vs Leprechaun 2.”

Bugger.

However, if there was one fight that could re-ignite fans expectations, from flyweight to heavyweight, from Bob Sapp to Georges St Pierre, it would have to be the long awaited grudge (re)-match between current #1 pound for pound, and arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history (no that’s not being hyperbolic!), Jon Jones. Against his adversary, and current heavyweight champ, Daniel Cormier.

Hey pussy, are you still there?

It would be no stranger to your ears if I told you how much Jones and ‘DC’ despise each other, so no, I won’t focus on their bitter sweet relationship…but oh isn’t it entertaining! Verbal diarrhoea, fists flying, Jones and DC have the bond of two immature, spoilt twelve-year-old brothers.

Brock Lesnar. We’ve all heard the name. “Ain’t that the bloody huge geezer in WWE?” Yes, that’s the one. But what sticks in my head about Brock is not his mammoth structure, or abnormally sized trapezius, it is his gigantic PPV buys.

7 years ago, at UFC 100, Brock (with help of other fighters of course) set the current PPV record of 1.6 million, when he brutalised Frank Mir on the ground in their rematch to retain bragging rights, and of course the heavyweight title. Now a hundred UFC’s later, he returns to the octagon; to face the super Samoan with serious KO power, Mark Hunt.

Post UFC 100 - Lesnar: "Talk all the shit you want motherfucker!"

Nah, the build up to the “biggest event in company history” has not been dramatic whatsoever, so buckle yourselves up and prepare for a bore fest!