UFC 201: Lawler vs Woodley (prelims) live results, discussion, play by play

Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring and play-by-play as the UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley preliminary cards transpire from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Before welterweight champion Robbie Lawler defends his title against Tyron Woodley in the pay-per-view headliner, six preliminary bouts will air on UFC Fight Pass and Fox Sports 2. Match-ups include: Light-heavyweights Ed Herman and Nikita Krylov, two former lightweights, Jorge Masvidal and Ross Pearson, throwing hands in a welterweight contest, heavyweights Damian Grabowski and Anthony Hamilton, and a flyweight scrap pitting Wilson Reis against Hector Sandoval.

Live results and play-by-play will commence with the Fight Pass prelims at 7 p.m. ET. The full schedule and lineup follows. Check out this week’s MMA Vivisection for UFC 201 predictions, analysis and betting odds.

Fox Prelims
(Fox Sports 2, 8 p.m. ET)

Ed Herman vs. Nikita Krylov

R1: Krylov comes out aggressively with a left kick and a few tight left/right combos. Krylov steers Herman into a corner with his steady flurries and clinches up. Herman scores with a knee to the body and they separate shortly after. Krylov goes back to the body with a left kick and Herman answers.

Krylov lands a front-leg push kick to the body. Herman steps inside a left kick and heaves an overhand right, then follows behind it with a successful takedown. Herman passes to half guard and Krylov shoves him off, escaping back to his feet in the open space. Krylov rolls a chambered left kick over Herman’s shoulder and into his face, lets his hands go, then lands a left kick to the ribs. Krylov starts taking over the pace with his kick-and-flurry strategy. Two consecutive left kicks spear into Herman’s ribs. 10-9 Krylov.

R2: Herman lands a counter knee to the body as Krylov’s advancing. Herman blocks a spinning back fist and scores with a two-piece flurry but Krylov unfurls a left high kick that lands shin-to-chin. Herman basically falls over and dies.

• Nikita Krylov defeats Ed Herman by KO (high kick) R2 0:40

Jorge Masvidal vs. Ross Pearson

R1: Pearson unbolts a high kick and scores with an inside low kick. Masvidal answers in kind. Pearson steps into a Masvidal high kick to jam it and nearly knocks him off-balance. Masvidal slipping in jabs and looking to sight in his right cross. Near miss with a knee to the head from Masvidal. Sharp one-twos from Masvidal on the fringe.

Masvidal tries a jump knee and Pearson again steps in to jam it, this time off-balancing Masvidal to the floor. Pearson hesitates to jump into Masvidal’s guard. Masvidal gets back up and lands a volley of strong knees to the body from the clinch before they separate. Inside low kick lands for Pearson. Masvidal answers with a left round kick to the body. Masvidal glances with a spinning kick to the body before sidestepping a jump knee from Pearson. Masvidal lands short on a one-two. 10-9 Masvidal.

R2: Inside low kick starts things off for Pearson. More long jabs from Masvidal and the strike continues to help him dictate. Masvidal unwinds a nasty left hook that lays Pearson flat on his back. Masvidal flurries with both hands but Pearson endures the heavy barrage, recovers his guard and escapes back to his feet.

A glancing one-two from Masvidal, then a counter right. Masvidal boots Pearson to the canvas with a sharp front kick to the body. Pearson rushes him and hits a single leg but he can’t keep Masvidal on the mat. Masvidal’s back to flinging jabs and cutting angles in open space. Glancing left hook from Pearson. 10-8 Masvidal.

R3: Pearson lands a left hook to the liver. Masvidal switches to southpaw briefly. Pearson scores with a left hook, his cleanest strike of the bout. Masvidal continues to dictate range with jabs. We now have the more complacent, willing-to-coast version of Masvidal, who floats around behind a retreating jab.

Telegraphed right-hook counters from Pearson after cautiously weaving into range. He catches Masvidal with one. Masvidal changes directions and vaults forward, landing a jump knee to the body. Right kick to the body from Masvidal in the closing seconds. 10-9 Masvidal. I have it 30-26 Masvidal.

Damian Grabowski vs. Anthony Hamilton

R1: Grabowski comes out with a pair of heavy rights that Hamilton ducks. Hamilton plasters him with a rear uppercut from the single collar tie, then unbolts a left hook and a volley of swarming punches. A few uppercuts later, Grabowski is down and out.

Wilson Reis vs. Hector Sandoval

R1: Sandoval lands a pair of low kicks and then goes upstairs with wide, whirring lefts and rights. Sandoval starts to land a few and Reis isn’t digging it so he hits an outside trip from the body lock. Sandoval scrambles back to his feet but Reis drags him back down again from the body lock, this time transitioning to back mount. Both hooks in for Reis and he quickly seals it with the mata leao.

Fight Pass Prelims
(UFC Fight Pass, 7 p.m. ET)

Michael Graves vs. Bojan Velickovic

R1: Graves is short on his opening right high kick, as Velickovic is on his left high kick. Glancing inside low kick from Velickovic as the pair continue to trade kicks from outside. They exchange kicks. Velickovic cracks him with another hard inside low kick. A few grazing rear-leg stomp kicks to the knee from Graves but not much else.

Graves shoots a takedown at the two-minute mark but Velickovic stuffs it and circles Graves onto the fence. Short lefts to the ribs from Velickovic before they separate and reset. No dice on Graves’ awkward axe kick attempt. Glancing counter left hand lands for Velickovic. 10-9 Velickovic.

R2: Graves knifes into range and gets back control, then slowly works his back off the fence and gets both hooks in. Velickovic defends well and Graves switches to the body triangle. Velickovic shakes him off and pursues a loose triangle attempt, allowing Graves to take top position after shrugging it off.

Graves again advances to back control and puts both hooks in. He nearly gets his forearm under the chin but can’t sink the choke. Graves rides out the round in back mount, sprinkling in a few strikes as well. 10-8 Graves.

R3: Velickovic flings a kick and changes levels, putting Graves on the fence and then taking him down with a double leg. Graves gets back to his feet and hits a counter takedown. Velickovic looks for a kimura but he can’t get two-on-one.

Velickovic escapes back to his feet and lands a few punches from the clinch whilst thwarting Graves’ takedown attempt. Graves stays buried on a double leg that’s not there until Velickovic circles off the fence and separates. Graves lumbers forward and tries to control Velickovic and a clinch battle comprises the last minute of the round. 10-10. I have it 29-28 Graves.

Cesar Arzamendia vs. Damien Brown

R1: Arzamendia starts off with a jumping switch kick that’s pretty, but it’s blocked. Brown lands a right off the back foot. Arzamendia goes airborne for a flying knee that grazes and Brown backs him off with a stinging flurry. Brown steps off-center, plants his feet and bores a laser-straight right cross into Arzamendia’s jaw. He goes down. Brown flurries with punches, landing a nice elbow.

Arzamendia recovers and rolls into a leg lock, and it’s deep. With the tide dramatically turned, Brown looks close to tapping but guts it out and escapes. They reset in the in the center of the cage. Brown sits down on another nasty right cross and, again, crumples Arzamendia to the canvas. This time Brown is able to pelt him with a few hammer-fists and the ref waves it off as Arzamendia’s unresponsive.