UFC 181 emanated from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada live on pay-per-view on Saturday night. The card was headlined by two title fights: Johny Hendricks defending his welterweight title in a rematch against Robbie Lawler, and Anthony Pettis defending his lightweight championship against Gilbert Melendez. Below are the UFC 181 results:
UFC Welterweight Championship
Robbie Lawler def. Johny Hendricks via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
The main event saw Johny Hendricks take on Robbie Lawler for the welterweight championship in a rematch from their five-round, Fight of the Year candidate in March. Hendricks won that close contest by unanimous decision. The second go round was even closer than the first. Round one saw Lawler absolutely blitz Hendricks right out of the gate, dominating the majority of the opening round. Hendricks controlled the latter part of the round though, ending the round on top of Lawler after a takedown. Round two saw Hendricks get his kicking game going, as he controlled the center of the octagon, and got the better of the exchanges, thanks in most part to his leg kicks. Hendricks end the round going for a guillotine. Round three was more of the same, with Hendricks controlling the center and being more active with his strikes. He closed out the round landing two takedowns in the final 90 seconds. In round four, both men were slowing down, and not much action took place until the last minute. Hendricks was on all fours, trying to secure a takedown, and Lawler blasted away with hammer fists and body shots, all while defending the takedown. The final round was similar to the fourth, with not much going on, and Lawler finishing with a flurry. The last 30 seconds were all Lawler, as he fought off another Hendricks takedown attempt, and blasted him on the feet. The final bell sounded, and two of the three judges sided with Lawler, giving him not just a win in the rematch with Hendricks, but his UFC championship as well.
UFC Lightweight Championship
Anthony Pettis def. Gilbert Melendez via submission – guillotine choke (Round 2, 1:53)
In the co-main event, Anthony Pettis successfully defended his lightweight championship against former Strikefore and WEC champ Gilbert Melendez. The first round was a vintage Melendez performance, as he immediately pushed Pettis against the cage and started working for a takedown. He was able to secure a couple, and round one was his. Round two started with more of the same, but Pettis started firing off his strikes more effectively with his back against the cage. Pettis clipped Melendez with a left, and the California native scrambled for a sloppy takedown attempt. The champ took advantage of his rattled foe, and locked up the fight-ending guillotine choke. The win was Pettis’ first defense of the title since he won it from Benson Henderson last August.
Travis Browne def. Brendan Schaub via (T)KO – punches (Round 1, 4:50)
Heavyweight contender Travis Browne got back to his winning ways with a quick (T)KO win over TUF 10 runner-up Brendan Schaub. Browne started off the fight controlling the center of the octagon while both men sized each other up. Schaub attempted a takedown halfway through the round, and although he got the Hawaiian down to the canvas briefly, Browne was able to get back to his feet. Towards the end of the round, Browne dropped Schaub with a big uppercut, and he jumped on top, trying to finish Schuab off with ground-and-pound. Browne eventually mounted him, then back mounted him as Schaub rolled to his belly. The fight was called off with ten seconds left as Browne was unloading with rights and lefts, and Schaub was doing little to defend.
Todd Duffee def. Anthony Hamilton via KO – punch (Round 1, 0:33)
The other heavyweight fight on the card needed even less time to come to a conclusion. Todd Duffee made his return to the UFC after a two year hiatus, and he tore right through his opponent, Anthony Hamilton. Duffee crushed him with a monstrous right hand, sending him face down into the mat. Two follow-up right hands came from Duffee onto his fallen foe, and after two years away, Duffee only needed 33 seconds to get his career back on track.
Tony Ferguson def. Abel Trujillo via submission – rear-naked choke (Round 2, 4:19)
The first fight on the main card saw TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson take on heavy-handed Abel Trujillo in a lightweight contest. Trujillo got off to hot start, dropping Ferguson with an overhand right less than a minute into the first round. Ferguson was able to recover, but Trujillo continued controlling the action, landing two takedowns. With around one minute to go in the round, the tide started to turn, as Trujillo’s gas tank started failing him. Ferguson started controlling the distance and dominating the striking exchanges. Round two started with more of the same from Ferguson, and with about 90 seconds left in the second frame, Ferguson landed a takedown, worked to Trujillo’s back, and choked him out. It was a great comeback win for Ferguson, his fourth straight victory.
Preliminary Card Results:
Urijah Faber def. Francisco Rivera via submission – bulldog choke (Round 2, 1:34)
Josh Samman def. Eddie Gordon via KO – head kick (Round 2, 3:08)
Corey Anderson def. Justin Jones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Raquel Pennington def. Ashlee Evans-Smith via submission – bulldog choke (Round 1, 4:59)
Sergio Pettis def. Matt Hobar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Clay Collard def. Alex White via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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