Hendricks vs. Lawler 2: A Complete Guide to Full UFC 181 Fight Card
The first time they stepped into the Octagon together, they waged the fight of the year. What does the encore hold?
We'll find out Saturday at UFC 181, when Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler lock horns for the second time in 2014. As with the original, Hendricks' UFC welterweight title is on the line.
Hendricks took a close decision after the two unleashed hell in a broom closet for five rounds back in March. Hendricks has been on the shelf ever since, thanks to a torn biceps. Lawler has stayed a little busier, taking out Jake Ellenberger and then Matt Brown en route to his rematch.
With Georges St-Pierre still in self-imposed exile, this second go-round will, barring a draw or the return of Fan Man, establish one of two things: that Hendricks is the clear top welterweight among active fighters or a massive rubber match for 2015.
But the fun doesn't stop there, and neither does this end-of-year gold rush. The lightweight strap is up for grabs in the co-headliner, which pits amazing-if-fragile champion Anthony Pettis against Gilbert Melendez, the longtime Strikeforce titleholder and Pettis' opposing coach on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter.
There is intrigue to be found up and down the 11-fight slate, from the prospect-loaded Fight Pass prelims to the gold-plated main events. Here are information capsules, predictions and viewing coordinates for each and every fight at UFC 181.
Alex White vs. Clay Collard
1 of 11
Division: Featherweight
Records: Alex White (10-1), Clay Collard (13-5)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
In all fairness, this should probably be considered Collard's proper UFC debut. His actual first Octagon fight came on only 10 days' notice. That probably helps explain why he missed weight by four pounds and was outclassed by Max Holloway.
If White wants to regain his status as an interesting prospect, he'll need to put his last fight squarely in the rearview. In a loss to Lucas Martins, White was exposed as a work in progress before being knocked out in the third. It leveled the 26-year-old's UFC record at 1-1.
Both men showed a lot of defensive weakness in their losses, particularly in the stand-up phase. Though White is a relative Johnny-come-lately to MMA, he may have the more complete game to neutralize Collard's feet-first brawling style.
Prediction: White, unanimous decision
Sergio Pettis vs. Matt Hobar
2 of 11
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Sergio Pettis (11-1), Matt Hobar (9-2)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
A little striker vs. grappler matchup is in the offing here.
Hobar isn't going to wow anyone with raw athleticism. He's just solid everywhere, most notably on the ground. He gets big slam takedowns or ties you up and then pounds on you from there.
At 5'10", he'll have a big height advantage on the 5'6" Pettis, who made his mark as a flyweight but has only competed in the UFC at 135 pounds. Pettis takes after his older brother Anthony and others at the Roufusport camp in his dynamic striking from the perimeter.
But Pettis has shown vulnerabilities in his last two contests. First, he was outgrappled and submitted by Alex Caceres, and then he came out flat and unaggressive in a win over Yaotzin Meza.
As long as the fight takes place in the center of the cage, Pettis has a big advantage. But his last two performances have cost him the benefit of the doubt. Hobar could use his size and solid defense to get inside, initiate the clinch and wear Pettis down along the chain link.
Sound the upset alarms.
Prediction: Hobar, unanimous decision
Raquel Pennington vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
3 of 11
Division: Women's bantamweight
Records: Raquel Pennington (4-4), Ashlee Evans-Smith (3-0)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Yes, Evans-Smith is undefeated. But a zero at the end of your record doesn't make you a world-beater. She only has three pro fights for Pete's sake. And she takes this, her first bout in the Octagon, on short notice, filling in for the injured Holly Holm.
That said, two of Evans-Smith's wins came by knockout. She has power and is fairly well-rounded, especially given how new she is to the sport.
Meanwhile, Pennington just hasn't shown much in her UFC career to date. She kind of hangs in there and hopes for the best. At the risk of sounding glib, I don't see Pennington having a major advantage anywhere. This debut only greases the skids for the Evans-Smith prospect train, though things might get a little sloppy in the process.
Prediction: Evans-Smith, unanimous decision
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Corey Anderson vs. Justin Jones
4 of 11
Division: Light heavyweight
Records: Corey Anderson (4-0), Justin Jones (3-0)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
You have to feel a little bit for Jones on this one. On Nov. 24, he was announced as Anderson's new opponent. That's not a lot of time to prepare for a two-time college wrestling All-American who just dynamited his way to a six-figure contract after winning the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter—especially when Jones only has three pro fights to his name.
Anderson will have stiff challenges in the UFC. This won't be one of them.
Prediction: Anderson, KO, Rd. 2
Eddie Gordon vs. Josh Samman
5 of 11
Division: Middleweight
Records: Eddie Gordon (7-1), Josh Samman (10-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
I'm grading this one on a bit of a curve.
Gordon, a protege of Chris Weidman, was the middleweight winner on TUF 19. "Truck" likes to embody his nickname, flattening opponents with very heavy boxing. It's true that TUF 19 wasn't exactly a star-making machine, but Gordon's contract-winning 71-second knockout of Dhiego Lima was some pretty heady stuff.
But that's only a small part of what makes this fight so compelling. Samman presents Gordon with an interesting test, but it's not any ordinary test.
Yeah, Samman is a good, well-rounded mixed martial artist with a penchant for stand-up wars. He has his own TV history, reaching the semifinals of TUF 17 (where he lost to some guy named Kelvin Gastelum).
What really makes the difference here is the personal hell through which Samman has trudged for the past 18 months. It adds a totally different dimension to this, and it could help or hurt Samman's cause.
Here's guessing—and this guess may be coming more from the heart than the head—that Samman channels that emotion in a productive direction and hands Gordon his first UFC defeat.
Prediction: Samman, TKO, Rd. 1
Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera
6 of 11
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Urijah Faber (31-7), Francisco Rivera (10-3)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The prelim main event is another interesting striker vs. grappler affair. Rivera might have the heaviest set of hands in the bantamweight division, while Faber with his signature takedowns and chokes remains as difficult to deal with as ever.
But that's not to say that both men are one-dimensional. Only one of them is. That would be Rivera (and that's coming from a Rivera fan). Faber moves so well in there, in every sense of the word: his head, his feet, his grappling, his transitions and level changes.
If all Rivera can do in response is swing for the fences, he's going to strike out pretty early.
Prediction: Faber, submission, Rd. 2
Tony Ferguson vs. Abel Trujillo
7 of 11
Division: Lightweight
Records: Tony Ferguson (16-3), Abel Trujillo (12-5)
See it on: Pay-per-view
Like the prelim closer, the PPV opener pits a free-swinging knockout artist against a guy with more nuanced combat aspirations.
Trujillo's right hook is the most potent thing in a potent arsenal. In the intangibles department, he has proved to be gutsy and durable. You can ask Jamie Varner about either one of those things.
Unlike Varner (and Trujillo, for that matter), I don't see Ferguson going for some big crowd-pleasing concussion buffet. I think he'll display a jab, a counterstriking game and some good old-fashioned patience to outpoint a hyperaggressive Trujillo for the W in a bout that never hits the mat.
Prediction: Ferguson, unanimous decision
Todd Duffee vs. Anthony Hamilton
8 of 11
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Todd Duffee (8-2), Anthony Hamilton (13-3)
See it on: Pay-per-view
It's been a circuitous route for Duffee, to say the least. What other 8-2 fighter lands on UFC pay-per-views after fighting only four times for the promotion over a five-year period?
There was the seven-second knockout that started the mythos in 2009. Then there was his strange release from the UFC. Duffee followed that up with a few fights in the MMA hinterlands, sandwiched around injury rehabs and contract disputes.
When he finally returned to the UFC, he knocked out the first guy he saw in 64 seconds—more than eight times longer than it took him in his debut. What gives, Duffee?
Then another injury struck. Then, a diagnosis of Parsonage-Turner syndrome, a mysterious nerve disorder.
After two years away from the sport, Duffee returns this Saturday. Does he still have it? That's anyone's guess. My guess? He does, indeed, still have it. It's been a crazy ride, but when he gets in there, he'll be pretty doggone impressive.
Prediction: Duffee, TKO, Rd. 1
Travis Browne vs. Brendan Schaub
9 of 11
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Travis Browne (16-2-1), Brendan Schaub (10-4)
See it on: Pay-per-view
Both of these men are coming off a loss, and you know what? That's where the similarities end.
Schaub's previous fight was a snoozer of a contest that ended in a split-decision loss to old man Andrei Arlovski.
Browne's last opponent? Fabricio Werdum, the guy who is now wearing the division's interim belt.
If Arlovski had bothered to throw a punch, he would have noticed how susceptible Schaub is to that particular weapon. But hey, I understand. It's a fight, after all. Punching doesn't always occur to people.
Perhaps Browne is more perceptive than the average bear. He seems to enjoy these things we call knockouts. He revels in the lucre they deliver him. It's a novel approach, I know. But I think we'll see it this Saturday.
Prediction: Browne, KO, Rd. 2
Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez
10 of 11
Division: Lightweight (for UFC Lightweight Championship)
Records: Anthony Pettis (17-2), Gilbert Melendez (22-3)
See it on: Pay-per-view
It feels like Pettis has been out of the cage for half a decade. In reality, this will be only his fourth fight in the past two years, but fans and UFC officials can be forgiven for thinking it feels like even less.
Pettis is a brilliant fighter, especially when operating in space. High kicks, low kicks, spinning this, flying that. No one reading this article needs me to talk about any of this. What makes it all scary is that he grounds the flash in solid fundamentals, curtain-closing power and an aggressive ground game from top and bottom.
Does Melendez have a chance? Here's a guy with greatness of his own, stemming from his own aggressive power boxing and pure toughness. He can use his wrestling game to test Pettis' takedown defense, which has been a bit of a question mark for the champ.
But given that Melendez is not a major submission threat, he may choose not to go for the takedown, at least not liberally. And it will be tough to get inside and fire off those punch combinations against a guy as dangerous and dynamic as Pettis. Ultimately, this will not be the challenger's day, and Pettis will remind the MMA world how terrific he is, when healthy. Saturday night will be "Showtime."
Prediction: Pettis, unanimous decision
Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
11 of 11
Division: Welterweight (for UFC Welterweight Championship)
Records: Johny Hendricks (16-2), Robbie Lawler (24-10)
See it on: Pay-per-view
I can't see how the main event won't be more of what we all saw in March. And that is one heck of a very good thing.
Both men have very distinctive games. It's not that they're not complex or technical, because they are. They're just both very efficient, swirling galaxies that funnel opponents toward the same simple planet-eating center: knockout punches.
When not loosing the most dangerous left hook in the game from close range, Hendricks likes to wade in, initiate the clinch and dig at your will to live with uppercuts.
When not loosing the most dangerous right hook in the welterweight division, Lawler likes to stuff takedowns, jab your face into hamburger and liquefy your innards with clinch knees, uppercuts and hooks off the break.
They have similar games, is what I'm saying. It's probably just a matter of who beats who to the punch more often. It doesn't feel likely that either man will land the big finisher, though. Instead, this one will go much as the last one did, with Hendricks and his wrestling instincts getting just enough of an edge for the champ during tie-ups.
Sorry, rubber-match aficionados. You guys can't catch a break these days.
Prediction: Hendricks, unanimous decision
Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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