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Hendricks vs. Lawler 2: Why Bigg Rigg Got Robbed by Judges

Mixed martial arts has seen its number of controversial decisions. Just like with other sports, there are moments where fans and media alike are left to ask: What just happened?
The end of UFC 181 should be added to a long list of perplexing moments. J…

Mixed martial arts has seen its number of controversial decisions. Just like with other sports, there are moments where fans and media alike are left to ask: What just happened?

The end of UFC 181 should be added to a long list of perplexing moments. Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks lost his welterweight title to Robbie Lawler on Saturday via split decision after a performance that looked much better than his showing at UFC 171. When the dust settles, this result may be one of the most contentious decisions of 2014.

The first place to start with this discussion is to look at the scorecards, as recorded by MMA Decisions. Sal D’Amato awarded the bout to Hendricks with a 48-47 score. In his eyes, Lawler won Rounds 2 and 3. Marcos Rosales gave the fight to Lawler with a 48-47 card, in which Ruthless won Round 1, 4 and 5. Glenn Trowbridge submitted the most one-sided card of the night with a 49-46 score where Lawler took every round except Round 3.

Now, let’s break those scores down with the fight statistics provided by FightMetric.

According to the official statistician of the UFC, Lawler and Hendricks had a very close striking affair from a numbers standpoint. Lawler landed 57 percent of his strikes compared to Hendricks’ 48 percent. One of the main differences, however, was that Hendricks clearly had the edge in the wrestling department. He completed five of 17 takedowns.

In looking at the total dynamic of this fight in relation to MMA as a whole, Hendricks had more success in multiple areas. That this split decision went against him was widely considered a surprise. For example, of the 15 media scores recorded on MMA Decisions, 12 had the fight going to Hendricks.

Also, according to Mike Bohn of USA Today, this is the first time in UFC history in which a champion has lost his title via split decision:

Comparing this fight to their contest at UFC 171 also shows signs that the UFC 181 result is questionable. The bout in March was very close in statistical output for both fighters, via FightMetric. In what was mostly a striking battle, Hendricks outlanded Lawler by the final count of 158 of 397 to 150 of 331. Even though Hendricks fought with an injured arm and scored only two takedowns, he walked away with a unanimous-decision win, which was widely agreed upon by most of the MMA media community, via MMA Decisions.

When comparing the two fights, the numbers and responses lean toward the idea that Hendricks’ performance on Saturday night was more dominant than his performance in March, yet he was unable to end the year holding the 170-pound belt.

Hendricks was obviously upset with the way his night ended. The result of his first title defense will be highly debated for the next few weeks, if not longer. Looking at the scorecards and statistics, it is hard to make an argument that he lost this contest. With a potential trilogy bout in the future, it will be interesting to watch if the former national champion wrestler receives an immediate rematch.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

5 Fights for Gilbert Melendez

Gilbert Melendez has long been a staple in the lightweight division. For years, he was considered one of the best fighters of any weight class outside of the UFC. When he finally made his first Octagon appearance in 2013, it was clear that he was going…

Gilbert Melendez has long been a staple in the lightweight division. For years, he was considered one of the best fighters of any weight class outside of the UFC. When he finally made his first Octagon appearance in 2013, it was clear that he was going to be in the title picture for a time to come. However, in his second bid for the 155-pound title, he was unable to capture the belt from Anthony Pettis. With his fourth defeat in his 12-year career, these are five fight suggestions that could be used to move his career forward.

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Hendricks vs. Lawler 2: Full Results and Top Moments from Epic Card

Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks put on a show in their entertaining welterweight rematch on Saturday night at UFC 181. The hotly contested bout ultimately went Lawler’s way via split decision, evening the series between him and Hendricks at 1-1.&nbsp…

Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks put on a show in their entertaining welterweight rematch on Saturday night at UFC 181. The hotly contested bout ultimately went Lawler’s way via split decision, evening the series between him and Hendricks at 1-1. 

MMAjunkie provided a look at the scorecard, which was soundly judged and reflected the fierce competition and fighting on display from these two proud brawlers:

Lawler improved his overall record to 25-10, while Hendricks’ rare loss put him at 16-3 for his career. This bout was one of the main storylines of the year for UFC after Hendricks’ win in March at UFC 171 earned him the vacant welterweight title.

Lawler left open the possibility of a grudge match after his win, via UFC:

In the co-main event, Anthony Pettis defended his lightweight title for the first time by defeating Gilbert Melendez in the second round with a guillotine submission.

The main card was full of powerful shots and entertaining moments, with the heavyweight matches providing fans a nice warm-up to the main event with a few thunderous strikes. 

Here is a look at the results from the main card, followed by a closer look at some of the top moments from all the action on display at UFC 181:

Note: The full list of bouts and results from UFC 181 can be found here. 

 

Top Moments

In the first fight on the main card, Tony Ferguson scored a second round win via submission over Abel Trujillo with a diabolical rear-naked choke. Trujillo was in control of the fight in the first round, scoring two takedowns and one knockdown.

Trujillo clearly did too much in the first round of the bout. Sports Illustrated‘s Jeff Wagenheim noted fatigue was the determining factor in this contest:

Ferguson was a bit overmatched standing up, but once he found his opportunity to move the match to the ground, Trujillo had no chance. USA Today‘s Ben Fowlkes noted the ease with which Trujillo fell to the mat:

Ferguson did well to pounce on his opportunity, and his chokehold earned him a big victory over a fighter who was lacking one crucial dimension in stamina.

Todd Duffee’s knockout win over Anthony Hamilton took just 33 seconds. Suffice it to say, the decisive blow was the top moment from that matchup.

Hamilton, backing away from an aggressive Duffee, attempted to come in with a straight left followed by a quick right hand. Duffee side-stepped the first shot and caught Hamilton flush on the chin with most of the latter fighter’s momentum taking him right into the crunching strike.

MMA fighter Sarah Kaufman criticized Hamilton’s hands, while MMAFighting.com noted Duffee is known to make quick work of his opponents:

Hamilton crumpled to the ground, with his senses completely cut out. It was a truly fearsome blow and should have Duffee’s next opponent wary of his immense power.

The next fight didn’t last much longer than Hamilton’s hammering. Travis Browne scored an easy first-round technical knockout win over Brendan Schaub. 

Browne and Schaub felt each other out in the beginning, but Hapa would send Schaub crashing to the canvas with a strong uppercut to the chin. From there, a vicious ground-and-pound game commenced, with Browne dishing out an immense amount of punishment and forcing the official to call the fight early.

UFC noted Browne tied a record with his knockout win:

After the big heavies were done knocking each other out, it was time for a little bit more of a tango between Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez in the lightweight title fight.

Melendez did well to control the first round of the fight, scoring one takedown and landing 49 strikes to Pettis’ 22 with some aggressiveness in the standing game.

Pettis came out firing in the second but eventually found himself backed against the cage. He used his supreme agility to slip a shooting Melendez and get him into a quick guillotine, forcing the challenger to tap out.

Melendez kept things classy in his post-match comments, per UFC: 

Lawler vs. Hendricks would turn out to be the only main card bout to go the distance. Lawler got off to a shaky start with Hendricks notching a takedown. However, Lawler landed 43 strikes on his opponent in the first round and come out of it in good shape.

Hendricks fared better in the second, notching yet another takedown halfway through the round and beating his opponent with slick jabs and several strong knees while fighting for that takedown. Hendricks continued his dominance in the third, notching two more takedowns and outstriking Lawler 28-13. The fourth was fairly even, but the fifth round was where Lawler made his mark and won the contest.

He was simply a different animal in the latter portion of the round, furiously pounding away at his opponent with right-handed shots, elbows and several vicious kicks. He landed a staggering 63 total strikes in the round. The judges gave Lawler the win, which caused MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani to make this sweeping statement:

A third match between these two opponents would be a coup for both UFC and the fans. Hendricks’ supporters have a strong case for him winning the bout thanks to several strong takedowns and his overall control of the middle rounds of the fight.

Lawler’s stunning finish was irresistible to the judges, and the fourth round was indeed a very close call. The welterweight division is looking strong with these two fighters valiantly battling for glory.

 

Fight stats courtesy of UFC.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Josh Samman, Pettis brothers, Matt Hobar earn bonuses at UFC 181

Josh Samman knew before he even got word from the UFC.
“I think I just wrote the check,” he told reporters Saturday night after his incredible head kick knockout of Eddie Gordon at UFC 181.
Yeah, he was right. Samman won a $50,000 Performanc…

Josh Samman knew before he even got word from the UFC.

“I think I just wrote the check,” he told reporters Saturday night after his incredible head kick knockout of Eddie Gordon at UFC 181.

Yeah, he was right. Samman won a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for the highlight-reel finish. Gordon was out before he reached the ground and took almost five minutes to come to in a scary scene. Samman said it was the hardest he has ever hit anyone, but he was primed for a head kick knockout from training. This one was a switch kick with his left shin landing near Gordon’s ear.

The Pettis brothers also came away from Las Vegas with some loot. Anthony Pettis won the other Performance of the Night bonus for his second-round guillotine finish of Gilbert Melendez in the co-main event. Pettis retained his UFC lightweight title with the victory. It was his first bout in 16 months and his first title defense. The choke came after Pettis dropped Melendez with a hard right hand.

Sergio Pettis, Anthony’s younger brother, and Matt Hobar took home Fight of the Night for their back-and-forth bout on the Fight Pass prelims portion of the evening. Sergio Pettis was dropped very early in the first round only for him to mount a comeback in the second and third frames. Hobar was very game, though, and hung in the fight for the duration, taking plenty of blows to the face.

UFC 181 undercard live blog: Faber vs. Rivera, more

This is the UFC 181 undercard live blog for the UFC 181 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.There will be six fights on the UFC 181 undercard. Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera, Eddie Gordon vs. Josh Samman, Corey Anderson v…

This is the UFC 181 undercard live blog for the UFC 181 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

There will be six fights on the UFC 181 undercard. Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera, Eddie Gordon vs. Josh Samman, Corey Anderson vs. Justin Jones, Raquel Pennington vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith, Sergio Pettis vs. Matt Hobar, and Alex White vs. Clay Collard will be featured on the prelims.

Check out the UFC 181 undercard live blog below.

More Coverage: UFC 181 Results | UFC news
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Alex White vs. Clay Collard
Round 1: Collard’s nickname is “Cassius,” so he better be good. Both of these guys are exciting prospects coming off losses. Let’s see how this one works out. Mark Smith is the referee. Collard tries a jumping kick to start off. Didn’t exactly work. Collard lands a couple of solid rights and pushes White against the cage. White lands a right and then another right to the body. Nicely done. White punches his way out of a Thai clinch. Collard is throwing solid combinations. White lands a hard right coming in. Ouch. Another weird jumping kick by Collard. Doesn’t land. Again. Collard lands a solid left. Collard takes down White. White is back up. He lands a right hook. Close round. MMA Fighting has it 10-9 Collard.

Round 2: Left hook rocks White. Another one puts him down. White with a switch and he’s on top. Great recovery. Spoke too soon. White dives for a leg lock. Doesn’t get it and Collard is back on top. White turns and gets up, landing a hard knee to the face on the way to his feet. Left hook by Collard. Straight right by Collard. White has a cut under his left eye. White goes for a takedown and Collard stuffs it. White lands a nice uppercut. Collard pulls guard looking for a triangle. Wow. White is in some trouble. But he slips out. White lands a combination against the cage. Collard lands a combination and White hits with a back fist at the bell. Damn. Great round. MMA Fighting has it 10-9 Collard (20-18 Collard).

Round 3: White lands a right. White looks like the fresher fighter, though he’s losing this fight. Blood coming from Collard’s nose. White lands a combination and Collard goes for a takedown against the cage. They break. White lands a left. White goes for a spinning back fist, halfheartedly. And gets taken down. White looking for a triangle now. Collard wearing blood all over his face. They’re back up. Collard looking for a takedown. Good strategy. He’s trying to ride this one out. White lands a takedown. Too little, too late. That’s it. MMA Fighting has it 10-9 White (29-28 Collard).

Clay Collard def. Alex White via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Sergio Pettis vs. Matt Hobar
Round 1: Pettis has quite a bit to live up to since his older brother is the UFC lightweight champion. Hobar isn’t a tomato can by any means, but Pettis could use this victory. He hasn’t surged to stardom like some expected. Mario Yamasaki is the third guy in the Octagon. Hobar drops Pettis with a left. Wow. Pettis is up. Pettis lands a nice right. Pettis lands again. Hobar takes him down. Pettis hits an upkick. Hobar takes side control. Hobar back in guard, landing some ground and pound. Pettis sweeps and gets up. Pettis lands a right and a high kick. Hobar lands a combo. Good wheel kick by Pettis. Hobar is wobbly. Pettis goes for a takedown. Hobar ends up on top. Pettis is turtled. Hobar in a sprawl position. Time running out on the round. MMA Fighting has it 10-9 Hobar.

Round 2: Pettis lands a combination, then a head kick. Wow. Hobar ate it. Another high kick and a combo by Pettis. Hobar is hurt. Pettis is teeing off. Ground and pound. Hobar achieves guard. Pettis had been close to finishing, too. Yamasaki stands them up. Neither were doing anything. Pettis hits with a right. Pettis crushes Hobar with a pair of rights. Hobar lands a takedown. Huge. Pettis in mission control. Hobar has some blood coming from his mouth. Pettis nearly has an armbar. Hobar spins out and stays on top as the round ends. MMA Fighting has it 10-9 Pettis (19-19).

Round 3: Both of Hobar’s eyes look awful. Pettis looks like he’s trying to set something up here. Hobar lands a knee to the head. Hobar grabs a kick and looks for a single leg. Pettis stuffs it. This fight is still out there for the taking. Pettis lands a combination. Kick to the body by Hobar. Goes up high with it, too. Hobar goes for a single. Pettis defends and lands a knee. Hobar pushes Pettis against the cage. Round and fight over. Would have liked to have seen more from Pettis in that round, but he still won. MMA Fighting has it 10-9 Pettis (29-28).

Sergio Pettis def. Matt Hobar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Raquel Pennington vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Corey Anderson vs. Justin Jones
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Eddie Gordon vs. Josh Samman
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera
Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Anthony Pettis on injury layoff: ‘I definitely got annoyed with a lot of fans’

Anthony Pettis sat on a bed around this time last year and let his mind wander.
After knee surgery, the UFC lightweight champion was trying to figure out what he was doing wrong, why he kept getting injured. Maybe it was something happening …

Anthony Pettis sat on a bed around this time last year and let his mind wander.

After knee surgery, the UFC lightweight champion was trying to figure out what he was doing wrong, why he kept getting injured. Maybe it was something happening in training, Pettis thought. Maybe he should leave his longtime home of Roufusport and find a gym elsewhere.

“I was just on painkillers, in a hotel room trying to think of something that makes me feel better,” Pettis told MMA Fighting on Monday at a UFC 181 media lunch in New York. “As fighters, we live for that next big rush and I didn’t have that. I had a year left with no big fights, no rushes to get me excited. I was trying to think of something else to get me excited.”

Pettis (17-2), who meets Gilbert Melendez in the co-main event of UFC 181 on Saturday in Las Vegas, has not fought since beating Benson Henderson for the belt in August 2013. He signed on to fight Josh Thomson, but was forced to pull out with a torn PCL he suffered in the victory over Henderson. All “Showtime” really wanted to do was to get back into the Octagon to defend his belt. Instead, for the last 16 months he has been the butt of injury-prone jokes and the subject of ire from some former supporters.

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“I definitely got annoyed with a lot of fans this year,” Pettis said. “Just the way they respond to things. You win the fight, you’re the best in the world. You don’t even lose a fight, you get injured and you’re a fake, you’re a phony. So it’s like we need the fans to watch the sport but at the same time, I’m just focused on what I’m doing as far as training and having fun doing it. If I have fun doing it, I don’t care what people think of me.”

The way Pettis sees it, he benefited a great deal from the time off. For pretty much all of his adult life until that point he had one single and solitary goal: the UFC title. That was his narrow focus. With a year to wait until he could actually defend said belt, his focus had to widen.

“That’s why I said I found out a lot about myself,” Pettis said. “When you don’t have that next big fulfillment of a rush, you have to create it in other ways. I did that with my daughter. I did that with my family and my friends, seeing places.

“I found out about who were the real friends in my life, who really cared about who Anthony Pettis is. Just adjusting to all that. Just making sure I’m surrounding myself with the right people and spending my time in the right places.”

The layoff was actually lucrative for Pettis. He was able to snare the prestigious position of being MMA’s first athlete to appear on a Wheaties box as well as other sponsorships. For the last three months, his face has been on national television every week as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. Though he hasn’t been in the Octagon for more than a year, the Anthony Pettis business is the best it has ever been.

“This fight just caps it all off,” Pettis said. “All the stuff that just happened just sets up this fight. I feel like my life is always like that. I always have that next thing to do. I love the thrill of the fights and I love that I have everything riding on this next fight.”

As for the injury stuff, Pettis believes it has been blown out of proportion. But the Milwaukee native did admit to shifting things in camp. Previously, wanting to outwork everyone as much as he possibly could, Pettis said he trained too much.

“I think I did good this time,” Pettis said. “I didn’t overtrain. Before I probably would overtrain, overspar, put too much rounds in. This time I did what I had to do. I sparred five rounds. Fight five rounds, spar five rounds. I used to try to do 10. I don’t need to do that.”

Pettis, 27, wants to fight, he wants to defend his belt and he wants to become one of the biggest stars in the UFC. Some of that is on the line Saturday against Melendez. Pettis also understands that staying healthy is a significant part of those goals. But there other things he values well.

“The more you fight, the more people remember you,” Pettis said. “The more highlights you can have. But at the same time, I want a legacy, but I want a life after fighting as well. I can’t push myself through these injuries and then I can’t play with my kids when I’m 35, 40 years old. For me, it’s just doing what the doc says, making sure you treat the injuries right and take care of them and address them when they’re there and that’s it. They’re gonna happen. I’m gonna be injured again, I know it. It’s just part of the game. You can’t go through this career without having injuries and some people are more injury prone than others.”

Is Pettis one of those? He hopes to prove in the coming months and years that he is not what people say he is.