TYRON Woodley has KO’d Robbie Lawler with a vicious right hand, with the American needing just two minutes to become the new UFC welterweight champion.

Woodley has dreamt of being UFC champion ever since the first time he put on gloves and decided to become a mixed martial artist.

Now he can proudly proclaim himself the best welterweight in the world after a vicious first round knockout over Robbie Lawler capped off UFC 201.

Heading into the fight, Woodley dealt with a lot of questions about what kind of performance to expect after he sat out for the past 18 months while awaiting his shot at the belt.

As soon as the fight began, Woodley looked calm, cool and collected as he patiently stood in front of Lawler while looking for the perfect opening to uncork one of his signature power punches.

Woodley is well known for his aggressive attacks early, but he showed patience instead of power in the first minute as he stalked Lawler across the Octagon and only threw one really big punch that whizzed by his opponent’s head.

The fighters broke from a brief clinch and rather than look for the takedown, Woodley leapt into a right hand that absolutely crushed Lawler’s jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas like he just got blindsided by a truck on the highway.

Official result: Tyron Woodley def. Robbie Lawler by knockout at 2:12, R1

Tyron Woodley is the new welterweight champion. Source: Supplied

The sheer force of the shot sent Lawler flying and Woodley wasted no time pouncing on his fallen opponent before unloading a series of quick, hard punches that left no doubt that the fight was over and he was going home with the title around his waist.

After the fight was over, Woodley admitted that he almost felt a little too composed in the back as he prepared to fight for a UFC title for the first time in his career, but it all paid off in the end as he landed a devastating knockout to become champion.

“I was in the back and I was relaxed. I’ve been extremely relaxed. I was nervous that I wasn’t nervous. I knew what Robbie brought to the table. He’s a tough competitor,” Woodley said following the win.

“This is not the first fight I would pick. He’s a friend of mine, I admire his career, hat’s off to Robbie. But I’ve been envisioning this belt being around my waist my entire life. Ever since I stepped into the Octagon, I had this mission at stake so it feels amazing.”

Woodley knew he had a wrestling advantage over Lawler coming into the fight, but he fully expected the veteran welterweight to be prepared for the takedown so he never really opted for a grappling attack.

Instead, Woodley decided to close the distance with punches instead of takedowns and the strategy paid off in a big way.

“We just knew Robbie would be well prepared for a takedown,” Woodley said. “That he would be hitting me with knees and uppercuts and being aggressive to defend it. So I used a little speed and blitz to cover the gap and when I saw the opening, I went for the right hand.

“Something kept telling me the right hand was going to be open and I went for it.”

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The stoppage came at just 2:12 seconds into the first round as Woodley becomes the new welterweight champion. Woodley’s win also signifies the seventh title to change hands in 2016 and with five months still to go, it’s tough to tell who will be holding gold when the year comes to an end.

As for Lawler, he was clearly disappointed with the way things ended after such an incredible run as welterweight champion.

“It is what it is. He feinted me, my hand went down, he threw a punch over the top and caught me,” Lawler said.

With Woodley now standing tall as champion, he’ll have a long list of contenders vying for a chance at the belt with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson as the most likely candidate after seven consecutive wins while quickly moving up the ranks in the welterweight division.

NIKITA KRYLOV FINISHES ED HERMAN WITH VICIOUS HEAD KICK KO

Nikita Krylov is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about light heavyweights on the UFC roster, especially on the heels of yet another stunning performance on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian fighter picked up another impressive victory as he crushed former “Ultimate Fighter” finalist Ed Herman with a vicious second-round head kick to win his fifth fight in a row inside the Octagon.

Krylov has been making waves at 205 pounds, especially since he finished his opponents by submission in either the first or second rounds his last three fights.

This time, Krylov decided to use his powerful kicks to hammer Herman throughout the first round before getting the knockout in the second.

Herman hung tough throughout the opening session, firitng back with big looping punches while trying to catch Krylov in exchanges. But he never found the target on anything to do real damage.

ERIK PEREZ SURVIVES BLOODY THIRD-ROUND BRAWL TO BEAT FRANCISCO RIVERA

Erik Perez fought a smart, tactical game plan through two rounds before throwing caution to the wind and engaging in an absolute slugfest with Francisco Rivera in the final five minutes Saturday night at UFC 201 in Atlanta.

The highly-touted prospect out of Mexico had to endure some hard shots early from Rivera, but once he got his timing down, Perez was able to stick and move to out-point the veteran featherweight.

Perez used superior footwork and speed to hit Rivera from the outside and quickly circle away before his heavy-handed opponent could land any powerful counter shots.

Perez looked in control after the second round, but as the final five minutes began, the two Mexican fighters decided to bite down on their mouthpieces and just start swinging for the fences.

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