UFC 201 unfolded last night (Sat., July 30, 2016) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., featuring the highly-anticipated Welterweight clash between current champion Robbie Lawler and teammate Tyron Woodley. But before the headlining bout went down, UFC 201's main card offered a plethora of memorable action.
In the co-main event of the evening, undefeated Polish fighter Karolina Kowalkiewicz attempted to put an end to Rose Namajunas' three-fight win streak and ongoing bid for a Strawweight title shot. After keeping her distance from Kowalkiewicz with sound footwork and movement to begin the first round, Namajunas found herself in a clinch served cold. Kowalkiewicz blasted "Thug" with great knees and elbows inside, which dictated the pace of the fight from there on out. Both women proved strong in one of the best back-and-forth striking exchanges in divisional memory, but it was Kowalkiewicz who escaped UFC 201 with the split-decision win (see official scorecard pic here).
The full video highlights can be seen above, courtesy of UFC on FOX.
With this victory, Kowalkiewicz will get the opportunity challenge fellow Polish fighter and current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk sometime in the near future. She will need to amp up her efforts if she wants to dethrone Jedrzejczyk, who has shown to be one of the best strikers in all of mixed martial arts (MMA), but she has the standup skills to give the champion a run for her money.
For complete UFC 201: "Lawler vs Woodley" results, including real-time play-by-play updates, click here.