“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler atoned for the past in a big way Saturday night as he defeated Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks via split decision at UFC 181 in a highly anticipated rematch.
MMAJunkie tweeted out the result:
From the very outset is was apparent that these two were looking to pick up right where they left off at UFC 171. Lawler’s frenetic pace to start the bout was matched by Hendrick’s combinations and wrestling as the round progressed.
Hendrick’s ability to put together combinations in the stand-up department wasn’t limited to just the first round, either. The former All-American wrestler continually strung together combinations while also utilizing more takedowns than his first effort against Lawler.
However, it was Lawler who was landing the more powerful blows. And that made all the difference.
Hendricks beat Lawler in a unanimous-decision classic at UFC 171 in March to win the UFC Welterweight title, but Lawler obviously learned from that loss, which resulted in him seizing UFC gold for the first time in his career.
The 31-year-old Hendricks fell to 16-3, while Lawler improved to 25-10. Lawler has been on a tear aside from his UFC 171 loss to Hendricks, and he entered Saturday’s bout with all the confidence in the world, according to UFC’s official Twitter account:
After losing to Hendricks at UFC 171, Lawler went on to beat both Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown in decisive fashion. Despite the fact that he fell to Hendricks previously, the 32-year-old veteran was of the belief that things would be much different at UFC 181, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports.
I’m looking to make it one-sided, plain and simple. My coaches have done a good job of preparing me in a lot of situations that Johny is really good at. I feel powerful. I’m a better fighter than the last time. I’m stronger, I’m faster and I’m more technically sound. I’m looking to dominate. I’m not looking to go back-and-forth with Johny.
As seen in this video of their initial meeting nine months ago, courtesy of UFC United Kingdom, Hendricks had a game plan for defeating Lawler and managed to execute it:
Lawler was confident that he would be able to flip the script Saturday night, though, and it turns out that he was prophetic in that regard.
As sure as Lawler was that he would perform well at UFC 181, Hendricks felt the same about himself. During the lead up to Saturday’s clash, Hendricks discussed the notion that he was making strides with each passing fight, according to UFC on Twitter:
Unfortunately for Hendricks, that momentum came to a screeching halt. He was quickly developing into one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and while that may still be the case, Lawler certainly exposed some deficiencies.
Both Hendricks and Lawler are solid draws at this point, and there is little doubt that other fighters are lining up to face them. With that said, it is difficult to imagine Dana White and UFC passing up Hendricks vs. Lawler III.
They have already put on two exciting fights and proved to be evenly matched, so both Hendricks and Lawler deserve an opportunity to prove who the better fighter is once and for all.
There is no question that Lawler has knocked Hendricks from his perch for the time being, but this epic rivalry is just getting started.
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