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Former UFC welterweight titleholders Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawler are set to run it back this summer.
After losing his title earlier this month, Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) is set to rematch Lawler (28-13 MMA, 13-7 UFC) in a matchup of 170-pound contenders at UFC on ESPN 4 this June.
MMA Junkie verified the booking with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN.com. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to officially announce the matchup.
UFC on ESPN 4 takes place June 29 at Target Center in Minneapolis. The card is expected to air on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.
Woodley, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA welterweight rankings, took the title from No. 9-ranked Lawler by first-round knockout at UFC 201 in July 2016. He would go on to defend the belt four times before dropping it to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 this month.
“The Chosen One” recently expressed interest in a matchup with Conor McGregor, but now the that Irishman has seemingly retired from MMA competition, he decided to move forward by accepting another fight.
He will attempt to make it 2-0 against Lawler, who has dropped three of four fights including his title-fight loss to Woodley. “Ruthless” is coming off a controversial technical submission loss to Ben Askren at UFC 235, and although UFC President Dana White expressed interest in an immediate rematch, the organization has instead opted to move in a different direction by pitting him against Woodley for a second time.
For more on UFC on ESPN 4, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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