UFC has saved one of its best shows for the end of the year, as two championship bouts will headline Saturday night’s UFC 181 pay-per-view fight card.
With Johny Hendricks squaring off against Robbie Lawler for the Welterweight Championship and Anthony Pettis defending the Lightweight Championship against Gilbert Melendez, MMA fans will be treated to an excellent show.
Here is all the vital viewing information and predictions for Saturday’s big event.
Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
When: Saturday, December 6
Start Time: UFC Fight Pass Prelims at 7 p.m. ET; Fox Sports 1 Prelims at 8 p.m. ET; Main Card PPV at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Pay-per-view (local service providers)
Live Stream: UFC.TV, Fox Sports Go (Preliminary fights)
Breaking Down UFC 181’s Most Underrated Fight
The UFC 181 card is very deep, but the most underrated fight of the night is the preliminary card headliner featuring bantamweights Urijah Faber and Francisco Rivera.
Faber is a veteran of mixed martial arts and the UFC’s Octagon, but he looks to be far from done as a viable championship contender. The UFC’s official rankings have Faber listed as the No. 3 contender in the bantamweight division.
After losing in his championship match against Renan Barao in February, Faber bounced back with a decisive submission win over Alex Caceres in his return matchup and looked to still be in elite form.
Faber spoke to E. Spencer Kyte of UFC.com about his approach to the sport despite being 35 years old and his charge back up the rankings:
I haven’t had time to sit back and smell the roses – I’m in ‘Do Mode’ right now. I’m gonna do, do, do, do and when I feel like I’m done with my journey and this path, that’s when I’ll look back and look at the ruins. At this moment, I’m not in the mindset of sitting back and seeing what I’ve done – I’m still doing.
On the other hand, Rivera has faced some roadblocks on his climb up the divisional rankings. Not only is he coming off a loss to Takeya Mizugaki, but he has only fought three times since July of 2012.
Seven of Rivera’s 10 victories have come via KO or TKO, indicating he has the power to be an issue for Faber, but The California Kid knows how to handle heavy strikers. Using his superior wrestling skills, Faber will keep Rivera off balance and control the pace of the fight.
While a fight filled with ground-and-pound action won’t satisfy casual UFC fans, Faber must earn this win to continue climbing the rankings and eventually earn another shot at the bantamweight title.
Faber has the tools to win a decision victory over Rivera and take one step closer to T.J. Dillashaw and the championship.
*Stats via UFC.com.
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