One of the biggest cards of the UFC calendar is coming up fast, with UFC 181 providing a rematch of March’s epic Robbie Lawler-Johny Hendricks tilt. The co-main event is also a title fight, one that pits Gilbert Melendez against Anthony Pettis for the …
One of the biggest cards of the UFC calendar is coming up fast, with UFC 181 providing a rematch of March’s epic Robbie Lawler-Johny Hendricks tilt. The co-main event is also a title fight, one that pits Gilbert Melendez against Anthony Pettis for the lightweight strap.
The card is full of quality bouts, and in such an event it’s inevitable that a few folks will go in sitting on the hot seat.
Here’s a look at who those guys might be going into Saturday night.
Clay Collard
Collard made a name for himself by showing up and getting into a surprising war with Max Holloway, succumbing to a late barrage of punches for a TKO loss. He impressed with his grit, but with so many athletes chomping at the bit to take his place he can’t afford to start off his UFC career with consecutive losses.
He could be saved by the fact that he competes in a traditionally thin division, but even that isn’t as true as it once was. Featherweight is no joke these days, and if you can’t prove you belong in a hurry, you might be on your way back to the regional shows to sharpen your craft.
That could happen to Collard with a loss at UFC 181.
Raquel Pennington
Despite being a favorite of both fans and UFC president Dana White thanks to her brawling style, there aren’t many people who hang around in the UFC with a sub-.500 record.
Initially slated to face Holly Holm, Pennington will now battle Ashlee Evans-Smith after Holmsuffered an injury. Though Evans-Smith is undefeated, she’s still something of a prospect and Pennington has an edge in experience.
It isn’t wildly likely, but losing here to a short-notice opponent that she’s advantaged over on paper might see her on the outside looking in.
Brendan Schaub
Schaub is in a tough spot, a winner of two of his last three but his wins have been unspectacular and his losses have been devastating. Lose to Travis Browne at UFC 181—particularly via stoppage—and it’s four losses in six outings and there’s reason to think the UFC might be done with him.
The saving grace for Schaub is that he’s well-known from his run on The Ultimate Fighter a few years back, and he competes in the thinnest division in the sport. He’s probably UFC caliber on merit, but when you lose more regularly and more memorably than you win, there’s always a risk you’ll show up on the cuts list after an event.
It’s felt like a long time, but Ashlee Evans-Smith is back in action. It’s not for World Series of Fighting, her former home, but with her new promotion the UFC.
June 21 was her first and last time stepping in a WSOF cage, where she finished Marceia Al…
It’s felt like a long time, but Ashlee Evans-Smith is back in action. It’s not for World Series of Fighting, her former home, but with her new promotion the UFC.
June 21 was her first and last time stepping in a WSOF cage, where she finished Marceia Allen in the third round with vicious ground-and-pound. It was a fight she overcame despite setbacks and still showed her great resilience as a fighter.
Looking back, Evans-Smith is proud of what she did in that fight, while still realizing there is room for improvement. All things considered, it was a win that helped her continued growth.
“My last fight with Marceia Allen in WSOF was interesting because I had 14 stitches in my leg from an injury suffered three weeks before the fight,” Evans-Smith admitted in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “So those last three weeks, I couldn’t grapple, kick the bag or even spar much. You can see in the fight, everything looked off. I have no excuses for that, but knowing that I have been able to spar and grapple in the lead-up to this fight makes me more confident than the lead-up for the Allen fight. Luckily, I eventually got the takedown, did my thing and finished her in the third round.”
Since then, she has sat on the shelf awaiting a new opponent. It was not what she had envisioned when signing with the company, as she believed this would be a stage in which she could make a name for herself and fight on a more regular basis.
Of course, unfortunately, that was not the case. In exchange, she sat and waited until she got a call that was quite unexpected.
“Frustration is an understatement,” Evans-Smith vented. “Not fighting hurt me financially and I was not getting fights, so I had to step away from training and work more at my day job bartending to make ends meet. If I am not getting fights, I am not getting paid. I stepped away from training for a few weeks when I got a call from WSOF matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz. He told me that he was releasing me because Sean Shelby from the UFC called and wanted me to fight Raquel Pennington.”
Evans-Smith is not quite sure why getting fights in WSOF was so difficult. There are a number of reasons it could have been, but she has her own theory.
“I think not getting fights in WSOF was a little bit of two things. I don’t think they could find anybody to fight me and I think they have so many people under contract that they have to spread out their appearances. Most of the best bantamweight fighters are in the UFC and it’s hard to find legit women outside UFC and Invicta to fight me in WSOF. So it was a little of both.”
Getting that call was huge for Evans-Smith. Not only is the UFC the biggest MMA promotion on Earth, but it meant getting a more consistent paycheck from MMA.
Although, that being said, there were definitely mixed emotions. Getting to the UFC was her dream, but it was not how it played out in her head.
“Getting the call this early from the UFC was not the plan, but neither was only getting one fight in the long time I was signed with WSOF,” Evans-Smith explained. “I thought, in my head, that I would get my four fights and have a 6-0 pro record while holding two belts before going to the UFC (the CFA and WSOF titles). Life doesn’t always work out the way you plan, but I have one belt (CFA title) and now I am competing on UFC 181.”
As stated, Evans-Smith does not only live off the MMA. She bar tends on the side to bring in money, something that has cut into her gym time.
However, she’s not completely worried about that. She is a warrior that knows when it’s time to go into combat and does not shy away from challenges.
“I didn’t really have a fight camp leading to this late notice bout, so I haven’t been training as much as I normally do,” Evans-Smith pointed out. “I had to do what I had to do to pay my bills. But now, I have a fight, I’m in camp and I am ready to go. Once the cage door closes, it’s time to do my thing again.”
At UFC 181, Evans-Smith meets Raquel Pennington, who was originally slated to meet world champion boxer and MMA up-and-comer Holly Holm. Pennington, an Ultimate Fighter 18 vet and two-time UFC veteran, is more experienced than Evans-Smith and has been far more busy in the last year.
However, Evans-Smith is definitely stoked for the matchup and sees this opportunity as one she can really stand out when it’s all said and done.
“Raquel is a great fighter, I enjoy her personality,” Evans-Smith confided. “She’s a great representative of the sport. But, I think she’s a great first opponent for my first UFC fight. She’s beatable, yet a great challenge to my skill set.”
“It might sound conceited or cocky, but she’s been training for Holly Holm, not Ashlee Evans-Smith. She was training for a world-class boxer and now she has me, who has a very different style from Holly. It’s gonna be a tough matchup for her. I’m sure Raquel’s a very well-rounded fighter, she’s probably not just a striker. But I think my wrestling is still going to be too much for her. I am very heavy when I get on top. She’ll be uncomfortable.”
With just one fight in 2014, Evans-Smith is looking to be more active. Just look at her amateur career. She was competing often, and she loved it.
Perhaps the UFC is the vehicle to getting her more active as a fighter.
“I sure hope signing with the UFC means more fights more often. I love being active with my fight career, going to the gym and having a purpose and an enemy to work on. Fight camps make me a better fighter and helps me improve more, so the more opponents I have set in stone, the better I will get.”
*Ashlee would like to thank Adam Lynn, Russ Muira, and her teammates at Subfighter MMA. She’d also like to thank Corey Beasly at Innocative Results, Mike Meish and her sponsors, MRM, Dethrone, Triumph United, Lana’s Egg Whites, AdrianGomezHealth.com, Yoga Zeah and her little town of Ukiah, CA.
There’s no denying Anthony “Showtime” Pettis is a special brand of fighter with a unique set of skills.
Even going back several years before Showtime ever became a WEC or UFC champion, the Milwaukee native was a highly touted prospect with talent…
There’s no denying Anthony “Showtime” Pettis is a special brand of fighter with a unique set of skills.
Even going back several years before Showtime ever became a WEC or UFC champion, the Milwaukee native was a highly touted prospect with talent that was recognizable from the moment he first stepped foot inside of the cage. A rangy striker, blessed with speed, precision and an impeccable sense of timing, the Duke Roufus-trained fighter has proved to be a nightmare matchup for his opposition when the fight is in the stand-up realm.
He has the ability to knock you out in a variety of ways, some of which have never been seen before his mind creates them in the heat of the moment.
Yet, like most dynamic strikers, things take a different turn when the action hits the canvas, and Pettis was not immune to those particular growing pains. There would be fights where he struggled against opponents from a wrestling background—most notably his UFC debut against Clay Guida back in 2011, where he was put on his back early and often and forced to fight outside of his comfort zone. Even with Pettis having an established jiu-jitsu game, the constant pressure an experienced wrestler brings is a different type of animal—and one that appeared to be his kryptonite.
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old is a lifelong student of martial arts and a quick study. His progression would show in his next outing against Jeremy Stephens at UFC 136 where Pettis emerged victorious via split decision. In that bout, Lil Heathen attempted to take the same approach Guida had used four months earlier, but this time around, Pettis had answers.
The Roufusport representative picked up his first win inside the Octagon that night in Houston and proved the missing element to round out his all-around game was starting to fall into place.
“I think I’m a bad style matchup for anybody,” Pettis told Bleacher Report. “Everybody that fights me is going to try to take me down because the only guy to ever really give me a problem inside the Octagon was Clay Guida back in my UFC debut. People take that and think that’s the blueprint to beating me and think, ‘That’s how you beat Pettis.’ There was a lot of fight that went into that outcome and a lot of good things that came out of it.”
His next three showings resulted in absolutely dominant performances, all of which came inside of the opening round. He steamrolled a collection of world-class talent in highlight reel-worthy fashion. He used a head kick to end Joe Lauzon’s night in Japan, a vicious body kick to fold Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone” in Chicago and then a slick armbar in transition to submit Benson Henderson in front of his hometown crowd.
In addition to picking up his second victory over the MMA Lab leader, he also claimed the UFC lightweight strap that had been on his radar since coming over from the WEC. His victory at UFC 164 not only appeared to be the culmination of a long journey but the beginning of a new era in the 155-pound fold. However, more injuries would happen, and being selected to coach the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter would put his chance to start his reign on hold.
More turbulence would arise when a collection of former training partners and one former coach launched allegations of abuse at his mentor and head trainer Duke Roufus in regard to how the former kickboxer turned MMA guru ran his Roufusport team in past years. While Pettis chose not to comment on the matter for this interview, the combination of everything he experienced while sitting on the sidelines was undoubtedly frustrating for the young champion.
Nevertheless, rising from a hard-scrabble upbringing to becoming a prominent sports figure in Milwaukee’s blue-collar environment has made Pettis as headstrong as they come. He’s as determined as he is ambitious, and both elements enabled him to keep his focus locked on his physical recovery and his return to the Octagon after a 17-month layoff.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life, and I believe I’m mentally very strong,” Pettis said. “There isn’t much that can faze me mentally. But it’s hard, man. Seeing all of these people advancing their careers and winning these fights and I’m stuck on the sidelines. It’s just one of those things you just have to get through, and I had to get through it. Once you do that, the great things come.”
The lightweight titleholder’s extended absence from the cage will come to an end when he steps in to face Gilbert Melendez in the co-main event at UFC 181 this Saturday night in Las Vegas. The former longtime Strikeforce champion coached opposite of Pettis on the most recent season of TUF, and their eventual collision inside the Octagon has been on the schedule for quite some time.
Therefore, El Nino has been on Pettis‘ mind for the past several months, and the 155-pound champion is ready to get their tilt underway. Furthermore, he has been patiently waiting to kick off his championship campaign for some time now and sees his upcoming bout with the Skrap Pack leader as the perfect opportunity to stamp his place atop the lightweight fold with authority.
“I’m ready to get out there and get this thing rolling,” Pettis said. “It’s been a while since my name has been in the bright lights, and I feel this is my time. I’m excited to be back, and my body is feeling good. The preparation for this fight went very well, and I’m ready to go.
“Melendez is a tough fighter, a decent wrestler and I think he’s going to try taking me down. He’s going to try boxing me up, but unfortunately for him, my stand-up is on a whole different level than his. His striking is very basic, and I’m on a completely different level in that department.
“My ground game is getting better every day, as is my wrestling. I just have to go out there and fight my fight, don’t get caught up in any of the hype and get in there and have fun. That’s how I’ll get the job done.”
Once the cage door closes and the scrap with Melendez gets underway, the first chapter of Pettis‘ time as lightweight champion will commence. He’s currently sitting on the throne of what is arguably the most competitive and talent-stacked division in the UFC, and he has zero intention of giving up the position any time soon.
Holding court at the top of a mountain of that caliber makes Pettis the best lightweight fighter in the world, but in all reality, he has the opportunity to become recognized as the best fighter to ever compete at 155 pounds in the years ahead. But in order to do that, he’s not only going to have to fend off the world’s best one after the next, but he’ll also have to remain healthy and active as the divisional titleholder.
Champions have to defend their belts in order to build legacies, and this isn’t something that is lost on Pettis. He’s been the undisputed champion of the lightweight division for 17 months, but due to his time out of the spotlight, he feels his time holding the belt has come without any of the weight and perks of being a UFC champion. Pettis is in a constant pursuit of greatness, and that drive—at least in the physical sense—has been stalled for the past year-and-a-half.
That said, he sees the coming year as his chance to cement his place in lightweight history, and defeating Melendez is the catalyst to everything he wants to make happen in 2015. All the praise and acclaim up to this point have come as the product of his hard work thus far, and he plans to take things to a different level next year.
“This is my time, and 2015 is going to be a huge year for me,” Pettis said. “I’m the lightweight champ, but I don’t have the star power or anything that comes along with it yet because I haven’t had the chance to defend the title. This year is huge for me, and I’m going to have a big year both inside and outside of the Octagon. And I’m going to enjoy the ride. I’m enjoying what I worked so hard to get. I have these skills and talents I possess, but I’ve busted my butt to get them. Now, I’m gonna reap the rewards. I’m going to go out there and test my skills against great fighters and prove that I’m the best in the world.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Anthony Pettis defeated Benson Henderson to claim the UFC lightweight title in an impressive first-round submission victory in August 2013. He’ll step in to defend his title on Dec. 6—462 days after he won the belt.
Gilbert Melendez defeated Dieg…
Anthony Pettis defeated Benson Henderson to claim the UFC lightweight title in an impressive first-round submission victory in August 2013. He’ll step in to defend his title on Dec. 6—462 days after he won the belt.
Gilbert Melendez defeated Diego Sanchez in what Joe Rogan immediately called the best fight he’d ever seen to reaffirm himself as the top title contender and secure his second opportunity at proving himself the planet’s best fighter at 155 pounds. He’ll meet Pettis on Dec. 6—413 days since he last stepped in the cage.
That’s not exactly the sort of consistency you’d like to see from the two best fighters in the weight class, especially considering fighters like KhabibNurmagomedov, Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos have done just about everything and then some to earn their shot at UFC gold.
Thankfully, the complaints will come to a halt in just a few days as the champion makes his return to the cage.
Scroll on to see how we break down the co-main event to UFC 181.
The UFC is looking to close 2014 with a bang. UFC 181 is the bang that the company is looking for, as the event hosts two title fights on pay-per-view that should grab the attention of fans.
The card holds some good star power, as names such as Anthony…
The UFC is looking to close 2014 with a bang. UFC 181 is the bang that the company is looking for, as the event hosts two title fights on pay-per-view that should grab the attention of fans.
The card holds some good star power, as names such as Anthony Pettis, Johny Hendricks, Travis Browne, Gilbert Melendez and Urijah Faber grace the card. Those are the type of names that will attract MMA fans left and right.
Many times, fans need a reason to watch a UFC event. Here are five reasons to tune in.
UFC 181 will see two championship belts up for grabs, and the rematch between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler promises to end the night with an exclamation mark.
How could the two free-swinging welterweights not put on a show to remember? Even …
UFC 181 will see two championship belts up for grabs, and the rematch between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler promises to end the night with an exclamation mark.
How could the two free-swinging welterweights not put on a show to remember? Even with an electric co-main event between Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez on tap, the main event figures to be the favorite to take home fight of the night honors.
After all, there’s a reason it was chosen as the main event. The two landed a combined 308 significant strikes in their first five-round brawl, which saw Hendricks take the title by the narrowest of margins.
The one they call Ruthless has done his part to earn a rematch since then, though. While Hendricks has been inactive, Lawler earned impressive victories over Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown en route to another shot at UFC gold.
Here’s a look at all the information you’ll need to catch the sequel along with an early preview and prediction.
When: Saturday, Dec. 6
Start Time: 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
Odds via Odds Shark as of Sunday, Nov. 30 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Fight Preview
There’s a reason these two put on a show in their first go-round. Each fighter has a penchant for trying to knock his opponent’s head off his shoulders. With the title on the line, we saw both Lawler and Hendricks swing for the fences, looking to win the fight at a moment’s notice.
It’s the type of fighting that makes for legendary fights. It’s also the kind that probably shortens careers. However, it’s the smartest path to victory for only one combatant—the challenger.
Looking at the statistical breakdown of these two fighters, they are almost identical in the stand-up game.
However, there’s a glaring difference between the two. Hendricks is the much more accomplished grappler. This is a shock to no one. BiggRigg‘s background as a collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State has been well-publicized and shows in the Octagon when the new champion chooses to showcase it.
Lawler‘s takedown defense isn’t anything special. Granted, it’s not a complete walk in the park taking down the contender, but he defends only 65 percent of takedown attempts, per FightMetric.
It’s no coincidence that Hendricks attempted the most takedown attempts in Round 5 of their classic title fight. He had finally figured out that using his greatest strength was an easy way to win the round. The key to this bout will be how quickly BiggRigg goes back to that strategy.
Prediction
Using five rounds of action between these two, this is still a tough fight to call. Former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre predicts the bout will ultimately come down to how well Hendricks deals with a layoff that extends back to his first bout with Lawler back in March, via MMAFighting.com:
The first fight was very close. They gave it to Hendricks. I thought, personally, Hendricks won the fight, but a lot of people believe Lawler won. This time, I don’t know. Hendricks was out for a long time, but if he keeps that same explosiveness … I think he kind of lost it in his fight with Lawler. He didn’t look as powerful as he normally was. The good old Johny Hendricks as he’s always been, I believe Hendricks is supposed to win.
It’s hard to disagree with the former kingpin of the welterweight division on this one. Ultimately, Hendricks is the champion, and it’s his fight to lose.
However, just how close the bout is feels like it’s entirely up to him. Much like Dan Henderson—who had an impressive wrestling pedigree in his own right—it feels like Hendricks is never one to shy away from standing toe-to-toe with anyone, even if it means abandoning the most clear advantage he has.
If the champion utilizes his wrestling earlier and more often, he could finish Lawler. That doesn’t seem likely, though. Look for Hendricks to exchange leather with his aggressive opponent yet again and squeak out yet another decision victory.
Hendricks via unanimous decision.
All fight statistics used in this article via FightMetric unless otherwise noted.
One of the biggest cards of the UFC calendar is coming up fast, with UFC 181 providing a rematch of March’s epic Robbie Lawler-Johny Hendricks tilt. The co-main event is also a title fight, one that pits Gilbert Melendez against Anthony Pettis for the lightweight strap.