WHAT’S ON THE MINDS OF THE STARS OF UFC® 201?
Atlanta – As fight night approaches, here is what the stars of UFC® 201: LAWLER vs. WOODLEY had to say leading up to their Saturdaynight matchups:
Robbie Lawler: “The thing is, no one ever wants Fight of the Night. Every fight I’ve gone in, I want Knockout of the Night. I want to be in and out quick. Sometimes, these guys just have a lot of grit. They’re highly trained and I just can’t get them out of there so I get fight of the night. I want to knock people out.”
Tyron Woodley: “I was training up in Milwaukee and I asked Anthony Pettis what it was like when Dana White walked behind him and wrapped the belt around his waist for the first time. I could see Anthony go back to that exact moment in time and relive that moment. I feel like I’m the best welterweight in the world. I possess the skills and I know I’m the best in the world so I might as well go grab that belt.”
Rose Namajunas: “The 115-pound division is stacked. I’m not looking past Karolina, but Joanna is the woman and I would love that challenge. A lot of people think Joanna is untouchable and I’d love to be the one to prove people wrong and that I can be the best in the world.”
Karolina Kowalkiewicz: “I feel great, I can’t wait. I trained hard like I always do, but I learned new things in my camp also. This is amazing to be the co-main event; the people in the United States might not know who I am right now, but after this fight they’ll remember my name.”
Matt Brown: “The belt doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re the best in the world and my goal is to be the best in the world. If you are the best, you’ll probably end up with the belt at some point, but what the belt does is make you more famous and earn you more money. But, my goal is just to be the best there is, if that leads to the belt great. If not, that’s okay too.”
Jake Ellenberger: “My preparation for this fight has been extremely intense. I’ve been very focused and my approach was really intense. Pressure has been a key for me in this camp and in my preparation.”
Francisco Rivera: “My goal in a fight is always to get in and get out – one punch and done. I don’t like going out there and getting into these wars and I don’t like getting choked out. After the (Brad) Pickett fight I dropped out of the rankings, but I felt like I won that fight. I know I need to come out here and get the win on Saturday night, get back in the rankings and then hopefully fight a top-10 or 15 guy next.”
Erik Perez: “We (Rivera and I) both need to win this fight. I was in the rankings before Francisco was and this is my opportunity to get my name back to the top again. We both really need this win and I am going to go out there and leave all of my passion and all of my heart in the Octagon. I’m going to finish the fight and impress people. I want to go in the rankings so I need to finish the fight. Francisco Rivera has the name and the power to put me there and if I finish him you can’t deny me.”
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.
CAST OF CHAMPIONS REVEALED FOR SEASON 24 OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
CAST REVEALED FOR THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®: TEAM BENAVIDEZ vs. TEAM CEJUDO
Flyweight champions from around the world compete for a UFC title shot
Season premieres Wednesday, August 31 at 10 p.m. ET on FS1
Las Vegas – Champions from around the world will descend upon Las Vegas for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter®. This season, 16 seeded competitors, all champions in their current promotion, will be coached by two former flyweight title challengers, top-ranked Joseph Benavidez and No. 2Henry Cejudo. Season 24 of the long-running UFC® reality show debuts Wednesday, August 31 at 10 p.m. ET on FS1. The series is the network’s highest-rated and most-watched original program since inception in August 2013. Last season’s finale, headlined by a strawweight world title bout between coaches Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha in, was the most-watched on FS1 since the first fall season in 2013.
Currently riding a five-fight winning streak, Benavidez (24-4, fighting out of Las Cruces, N.M.) has met current 125-pound kingpin Demetrious Johnson twice and will utilize the experience gained in those two encounters to help guide his squad of eight fighters from around the world. In addition to his matchups with “Mighty Mouse,” Benavidez has blown through the competition in the 125-pound division and racked up victories over the best flyweights in the world, including Zach Makovsky, Ian McCall and Jussier Formiga.
Coaching opposite Benavidez this season is Olympic gold medalist, Cejudo (10-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.), whose only professional loss has come at the hands of Johnson. Cejudo became the youngest American to earn gold in wrestling at the 2008 games in Beijing. After representing his country on the world’s stage, he turned his attention to MMA, where he holds victories over some of the sport’s elite, including former title challenger Chris Cariaso.
The show will feature 12 episodes airing Wednesdays on FS1. Each episode’s winner will advance in the single-elimination tournament. In a new twist from previous seasons, the two finalists will meet in the last fight in the house to determine who will receive a shot at the UFC flyweight world title at the finale in December.
Below is a full list of competitors (name, professional record, promotion, age and fighting out of):
For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and follow us on Twitter @UltimateFighter and Facebook.
