No. 1-ranked Johny Hendricks and No. 3-ranked Robbie Lawler stepped inside the Octagon to battle it out for the vacant welterweight championship Saturday night in Dallas.
The fight did not disappoint. The two heavy-hitters stood in the pocket and exchanged blows round after round. It went the full 25 minutes, but there was not a dull moment in the fight. The Dallas crowd was treated to one of the best welterweight title fights in UFC history.
It was Hendricks who walked away with a narrow decision victory, and Twitter was quite active during the exciting bout. Here’s a look at some of the tweets that came across the wire.
Pre-fight
Round 1
Hendricks seemingly took Round 1, but it was a close round. Hendricks landed a bit more cleanly and was effective with low leg kicks. Lawler connected in his own right, but it was not enough to take the frame on the scorecards.
Round 2
Another close round, but this one was not as close as the first. Hendricks outpaced Lawler in the round. Neither fighter was throwing huge bombs in the fight, but they were supplying plenty of volume.
Round 3
Lawler started to take over the fight. He hurt Hendricks but was unable to finish him off. It was the first crystal-clear round. Hendricks slowed considerably, and Lawler took full advantage with a flurry of strikes. He was very close to capturing gold.
Round 4
Lawler kept up the pace in the fourth round. Hendricks did not seem like he was going to win the fight early on. He looked completely out of it. The No. 1-ranked welterweight rebounded late in the round and started to show signs of life once more. Lawler looked like the winner of the round, but Hendricks returned to earlier form.
Round 5
The deciding round, and Lawler hit a wall. Hendricks took advantage and hurt Lawler. He could not finish the veteran, but he was able to get the points. Hendricks took Lawler down to the floor to secure the round, and eventually the title.
Post-fight
A fantastic fight between two elite fighters. This is the standard we expect from title fights. They went after the gold and did not leave anything in the cage. What’s next? The UFC has plenty of options at its feet.
Regardless of who is next, Hendricks earned the title at UFC 171. A hard-fought victory. Here is to hoping Lawler returns, gets a win or two, and we can see this one again.
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