Any time there is a UFC title on the line, serious business is sure to follow. Furthermore, when two divisional straps go up for grabs on the same card, a powerful front of chaos is likely to roll through. There were two championship bouts topping the lineup at UFC 181 on Saturday night, and both were of the highly anticipated variety.
The main event showcased a title tilt in the 170-pound ranks as champion Johny Hendricks and resurgent contender Robbie Lawler stepped in for their rematch. Their initial go-round at UFC 171 back in March was a five-round war for the ages, as Bigg Rigg edged out the veteran powerhouse to claim the vacant welterweight title via split decision on the judges’ scorecards.
While Hendricks spent the next eight months rehabilitating a torn bicep suffered in his first bout with Lawler, Ruthless would jump back into the fray looking for another title shot. He dispatched fellow slugger Jake Ellenberger via knockout at UFC 173 in May and then outlasted “The Immortal” Matt Brown in a 25-minute free-for-all two months later in San Jose. With back-to-back victories—and the fashion in which he claimed them—the American Top Team product earned another shot at Hendricks and championship gold at UFC 181.
That said, the former two-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler would not only be making his long-awaited return to action on Saturday night, but the rematch with Lawler would also represent his first attempt at defending the welterweight title. Hendricks wants to have a long reign over the 170-pound fold, and a victory over the resilient knockout artist would be the perfect way to kick things off.
With their first tussle bringing the proverbial noise in every measurable sense, their rematch at UFC 181 had big shoes to fill. And things started out that way.
From the opening bell Lawler came out like a man possessed as he launched power punches and kicks in the champion’s direction, which forced Hendricks to stay on the defensive. Yet, while Lawler was the aggressor, Hendricks still managed to get key takedowns at crucial moments to swing the momentum in his favor. By the fourth round, the aggressive Lawler was gone, and the frustrated veteran did everything he could as he tried to land the home run shot.
Nevertheless, Lawler never gave up hope, and with the clock ticking down, the veteran powerhouse unleashed a frenzied attack, battering Hendricks with punches and kicks until the final bell sounded. And when the scorecards were read this time around, it was Lawler who took the split-decision victory to become the new champion of the welterweight division.
The lightweight title would also be up for grabs at UFC 181, as Anthony Pettis returned from a 17-month layoff to face perennial contender Gilbert Melendez in the co-main event.
Showtime has been an absolute monster as of late and came into his bout with El Nino on the strength of three consecutive finishes over top-ranked opposition, including the likes of Joe Lauzon, Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson. The Milwaukee native’s bout with Smooth ultimately produced the lightweight title as he submitted the MMA Lab representative with a slick armbar in the first round at UFC 164 in August of 2013.
Yet, a knee injury and corrective surgery kept the champion on the sidelines for a lengthy stint, and he was eager to return to action on Saturday night. That said, Melendez was equally as hungry to get back into the Octagon and make a bid for the 155-pound belt that had eluded him since crossing over from Strikeforce in early 2013. The Skrap Pack leader was narrowly edged out by Henderson in his first title shot under the UFC banner and was determined not to let the opportunity to slip through his fingers once again.
The fight was figured to be a high-octane affair, and that’s exactly what it was for as long as it lasted. Melendez jumped on Pettis from the opening bell and remained in the champion’s face, throwing heavy shots and diving in for takedowns. Yet, while Melendez’s game plan gave him the edge in the first round, Pettis found his groove in the second. The Duke Roufus-trained fighter landed a stiff counter shot that stunned Melendez near the cage, and with his opponent hurt, Pettis pounced to lock on the fight-ending guillotine choke.
It was a great showing for both men, but the victory marked Pettis‘ reign as the undisputed king of the lightweight division. It was a good night of fights from the Mandalay Bay, and let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC 181 in Las Vegas.
The Good
While “Ruthless” is Robbie Lawler‘s official nickname, “Resurgent” may be more appropriate at the current time.
After spending years away from the UFC and being on the brink of becoming a cautionary tale of potential unfulfilled, the heavy-handed slugger re-emerged onto the UFC scene in 2013 as a man on a mission. The 32-year-old steamrolled his first three opponents en route to earning a shot at the vacant welterweight title against Hendricks at UFC 171 back in March.
Lawler would come out on the business end of a split decision that night in Dallas, but he was determined to get back into title contention and get his hands on UFC gold.
That opportunity came on Saturday night in his long-awaited rematch with Hendricks at UFC 181, and from the opening bell, there was no doubt he was prepared to put it all on the line against Bigg Rigg. That said, much like their first fight, Hendricks took used his superior wrestling to stall and frustrate the American Top Team powerhouse. Yet, whereas Hendricks ultimately pulled out the win in their first meeting in the fifth and final round, Lawler wasn‘t going to be denied on Saturday night.
He stuffed each of Hendricks’ takedowns and punished the champion to the head and body with elbows and hammerfists. Then, with the clock running down, the perennial contender unleashed a berserk-style attack that sent Hendricks reeling from his power until the final bell sounded. With the fight clearly a close-fought affair, the judges’ decision was once again going to dictate who won the fight, and this time around it was Lawler with his hand raised.
While the decision is controversial and will be debated across the MMA community for weeks to come, the end result of Lawler becoming champion puts the finishing touch on one of the greatest resurgences in MMA history.
Ten years ago he was the next big thing. Five years ago he was all but finished. Saturday night at UFC 181, Robbie Lawler became the UFC welterweight champion. That’s a crazy ride any way you cut it.
There is a proverbial ceiling every athlete eventually finds in their career, but Anthony Pettis is nowhere near finding where his boundaries are.
Long before he became the UFC lightweight champion, the Milwaukee native showed flashes of greatness inside the cage, as he racked up victories and climbed toward the top of the competitive mix at 155 pounds. Yet, there comes a time when every prospect either cashes in to become a contender or folds, and Pettis has done nothing but hit his mark time and time again, and the 27-year-old has continued to round out his all-around skill set every step of the way.
Showtime has always been a versatile and dangerous striker, but once he added the ground game to complement his dynamic stand-up attack, the sky was going to be the limit. And that’s where things currently stand with the undisputed lightweight champion.
After steamrolling a cast of top-ranked opponents that included Cerrone and Henderson, the Roufusport representative made his inaugural attempt to defend the strap when he stepped into the Octagon to face Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181. While the two fighters couldn’t be further apart from a stylistic standpoint, Pettis came into the bout confident he could handle anything the hard-charging former Strikeforce champion could throw his way.
And while Melendez was able to score and control the action in the opening round, Pettis found his groove in the second round and started to cut angles on El Nino. He eventually caught Melendez with a straight shot on the counter and locked on a fight-ending guillotine when the Skrap Pack leader attempted to take a sloppy shot. The result was Pettis‘ second consecutive finish via submission and further proof that the talented young champion is only getting better.
And this is where things get interesting for Pettis. While the Wisconsin native has already built an impressive resume, he truly has the opportunity to make a run at being the most dominant champion in the history of the lightweight division. It’s certainly a possibility for Pettis to accomplish, and there doesn’t seem to be much at the present time that isn’t within his reach.
On the flip side, while Melendez came up short once again on his quest to become the UFC lightweight champion, the former longtime Strikeforce titleholder gave the new king hell for as long as he could.
Travis Browne is a fighter who has carried high expectations since he first debuted under the UFC banner back in 2010. While the Hawaiian powerhouse has suffered setbacks along the way, he’s also shown a level of skill that has led some to believe he can be a contender to the heavyweight crown.
Following his loss to Fabricio Werdum back in April, Hapa needed a victory over Brendan Schaub on Saturday night to keep those future title hopes alive. Fortunately for Browne, he proved too much for Big Brown to handle and pounded out the victory with big shots on the canvas.
With the win, the 32-year-old striker has now found victory in four of his past five showings and will most certainly draw one of the division’s best in his next outing.
Todd Duffee was once considered to be the hottest young prospect in the heavyweight ranks when he debuted with a record-setting seven-second knockout of Tim Hague back in 2009. Less than a year later he was cut from the UFC and floating in career limbo.
While he would spend the next two years battling health issues and attempting to get his career back on track, Duffee came into his bout with Anthony Hamilton at UFC 181 determined to make that happen. And that’s exactly what he did when the Indiana native blasted the Freight Train with a big shot in the opening stages of the first round.
The lightweight division is one of the most talent-stacked collectives under the UFC banner, and Tony Ferguson is starting to make some real progress toward a top-10 ranking. El Cucuy had won three consecutive bouts coming into his scrap with Abel Trujillo at UFC 181 and was looking to take another big step toward breaking through to the next level by defeating Killa on Saturday night.
While the Team Blackzilians fighter came out throwing bombs that put Ferguson on the deck early, The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 winner hung tough and kept applying the pressure. Trujillo eventually faded, and Ferguson locked in the fight-ending rear-naked choke to secure the victory and notch his fourth straight win in the process.
Typically, time away from the Octagon causes ring rust to some degree, but Josh Samman showed zero signs of that in his bout against Eddie Gordon. While the two TUF alumni spent the opening round trading heavy shots and pressing the action in grappling exchanges, it was in the second round where Samman stamped his most impressive moment to date as a mixed martial artist. Just as Truck stepped in to attack, Samman unloaded and landed a left head kick that blasted the Serra-Longo representative into oblivion. It was a brutal shot from the Floridian that will make the highlight-reel loop for years to come.
As cliche as it sounds, every second counts inside the Octagon, and Raquel Pennington provided the latest example of this on Saturday night. After a rock em’, sock em’ opening frame where her opponent Ashlee Evans-Smith busted her open with elbows and punches, it appeared Rocky was on her way to losing the first round. Yet, The Ultimate Fighter alum proved to be quick on her toes as she caught Evans-Smith in a nasty bulldog choke in the final seconds of the round. And when the bell sounded and the referee pulled the two fighters apart, Evans-Smith was out cold on the canvas. As a result, Pennington picked up her second victory in her past three outings.
Despite getting off to a slow start where he was rocked by a big shot from Matt Hobar, talented prospect Sergio Pettis rebounded in strong fashion and settled in to do his thing in the second round. Once the Phenom found his rhythm, he peppered Hobar with punches and kicks en route to picking up the unanimous-decision victory, which his third successful showing in four appearances under the UFC banner.
Nevertheless, in his post-fight interviews with the media on hand at the Mandalay Bay, Pettis suggested this may be his final fight as a bantamweight, as he’s strongly considering making the drop down to compete in the flyweight division.
There wasn‘t anything pretty about Clay Collard’s second UFC fight, but the scrappy featherweight got the job done against Alex White to kick off the action at UFC 181. While both fighters had moments of success throughout the three-round tilt, it was Collard who had the gas tank to outlast the hard-hitting Missouri native to pick up his first victory inside the Octagon.
The Bad
There are going to be some rough roads ahead for Schaub.
Whereas The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 finalist once seemed poised to be a rising new talent in the heavyweight ranks, the past three years haven’t been all too kind to the fighter commonly referred to as Big Brown. The former football player turned mixed martial artist carried a four-fight winning streak into his bout with Antonio Nogueira at UFC 134—a bout he was heavily favored to win—but a stunning knockout loss to the MMA legend brought his momentum to an abrupt halt.
Nevertheless, crazy things happen in MMA, and any fighter can be defeated on a given night, and the TUF alum’s next fight against Ben Rothwell at UFC 145 was supposed to be the bout where he shook off his loss in Brazil and got back on track. Yet, Schaub would once again stumble and suffered a knockout loss to Big Ben in the first round of their tilt in Atlanta.
Schaub would go on to pick up wins in his next two fights, and once again talk of him becoming a potential contender started to pop up around the MMA community, until a split-decision loss to former champion Andrei Arlovski once again stopped his progression. As controversial as the setback was, it was one Schaub couldn’t afford, and that put a heavy amount of pressure on his shoulders going into his scrap with Browne at UFC 181 on Saturday night.
Hapa was also coming off a loss in his most recent showing, and the bout featured two one-time prospects who desperately needed to make good in Las Vegas. Unfortunately for Schaub, the rangy Hawaiian established the upper hand in the early going and held that position until he pounded out the finish late in the opening round. Browne rocked Schaub with an uppercut as the Colorado native moved in to strike, and he was unable to get his wits about him before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
While back-to-back losses won’t cost Schaub his spot on the UFC roster, four setbacks in his past six outings won’t do him any favors.
There are going to be plenty of readers who will jump on the comment section and rage how Hendricks won his rematch with Lawler at UFC 181. Bigg Rigg seemed to be getting the better of the exchanges in the middle rounds and used his wrestling to control the fight at crucial moments, and he could have easily been given Rounds 2, 3 and 4. But I’m not going to debate these things in this column because Lawler‘s victory means we will most likely get a trilogy fight between these two warriors.
I’ll take that any way I can get it.
The Strange
By far the weirdest thing to happen on Saturday night occurred outside of the Octagon when Joe Rogan interviewed former WWE champion CM Punk.
Not only was it strange to see the play-by-play staple sharing microphone time with a professional wrestler, but when Punk (real name Phillip Brooks) announced he would no longer be participating in the scripted form of combat sports and would be testing his skills inside the Octagon things, jumped up into an entirely new level of wackiness.
Punk isn’t the first professional wrestler to cross over into mixed martial arts, but unlike Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley, he doesn’t have a background in combat sports to fall back on. He does train jiu-jitsu with the legendary Gracie family, but jumping into the fray on the sport’s biggest stage at 36 years old seems like quite the risk.
I wish I had a better way to describe this situation, or cared to for that fact, but Punk signing with the UFC is one of the biggest pieces of news to come out of UFC 181.
Moving on….
Urijah Faber has notched many impressive statistics throughout his storied career, but perhaps the most impressive is that The California Kid has never lost a bout where a title wasn‘t on the line. Unfortunately for Francisco Rivera, that trend continued on Saturday night.
While the 33-year-old Californian gave the former longstanding WEC featherweight champion a tough scrap in the opening frame, the tides changed in a big way when Faber caught Cisco with a straight right hand and then forced Rivera to tap with a rear-naked choke. That said, the post-fight replay showed it wasn‘t a punch that staggered Rivera but an inadvertent eye poke that brought about the beginning of the end.
With the win, Faber has now won back-to-back bouts and six of his last seven showings in the bantamweight division. With those types of numbers, he should be drawing close to yet another title opportunity, but with his good friend and teammate T.J. Dillashaw currently holding the crown, and the Sacramento native already getting three championship opportunities since 2011, it will most likely be some time before Faber gets another crack at UFC gold.
Then again, he has such a high level of name recognition, the UFC has plenty of options to keep him busy. The promotion could slot him in fan-friendly tilts to headline smaller cards or match him up in catchweight bouts against other fighters with solid name recognition. If Faber isn’t going to be in a title hunt, then the UFC needs to keep him relevant, and having him fight No. 11-ranked opponents is not the way to get that done.
Corey Anderson stormed through the tournament to win the 19th season of The Ultimate Fighter and scored a big knockout finish over Matt Van Buren to win the coveted six-figure contract at the TUF 19 Finale back in July. The Rockford, Illinois, native continued his impressive run when he defeated short-notice replacement Justin Jones on the preliminary portion of the card in a bout that not only further showcased his punching power but his ever-improving cardio as well.
Nevertheless, while Anderson possesses talent as a mixed martial artist, he also has one of the worst nicknames to come along in recent memory.
In an individual sport such as MMA, originality is a good route to travel, but “Beastin’ 25/8” is proof that Anderson may have traveled too far down said path. Then again, he’s winning fights, so it is quite possible he is actually living up to his nickname. His victory over Jones was not only his second official win inside the Octagon but kept his undefeated record intact in the process.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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