UFC 181 Results: Winners and Scorecards from Hendricks vs. Lawler 2 Fight Card

Pound for pound, there are fewer cards in 2014 that look better than UFC 181.

Headlining the evening will be the first title defense of two new exciting champions in Johny Hendricks and Anthony Pettis. 

Hendricks will look to further legitimize the gold around his waist by handling Robbie Lawler in a rematch of their instant-classic scrap in UFC 171. Pettis—on the other hand—will see an entirely new challenge in Gilbert Melendez. 

But before the high-stakes headliners do battle, fans will be treated to a heavyweight doubleheader featuring Travis Browne vs. Brendan Schaub and Todd Duffee vs. Anthony Hamilton.

With a few potential slugfests lined up and two titles on the line, this isn't the card to miss. Here's a look at the results and live analysis as fight night transpires. 

Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler

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Once upon a time Robbie Lawler was a 20-year-old phenom fighting in UFC 37. Fast-forward more than 12 years and Ruthless has finally realized his championship potential.

The 32-year-old earned the welterweight championship via split decision. 

This fight gave fans many things, but closure was not one of them. The five round bout wasn't the barnburner that their first one was, but it did bring about controversy as Hendricks did a much better job of stringing together combinations while Lawler seemingly landed the more powerful shots. 

The win opens up questions of a trilogy. After all the first one was a classic and Lawler simply evened up the score with this victory.

However fans wanting to see these two throwdown in a threematch will likely have to wait. With two fights already in the books, one has to think that Rory MacDonald is likely the next challenger in this new post-Georges St-Pierre era of the welterweight division.

Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez

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Anthony Pettis officially notched his first defense of the UFC lightweight championship with a second round submission win over Gilbert Melendez.

To El Nino's credit, the challenger came out and did a great job of closing the distance and stealing the first round from the champion. However, it was ultimately the champion's burgeoning submission skills that earned him the title defense. 

With an explosive submission game to go with his electrifying stand up, Pettis showcased why he's a dangerous champion. 

After a year of Benson Henderson ruling the lightweight division, this win sets the tone for Pettis to go on a run of his own. With his finish of Henderson earning him the belt, this win proves that Showtime is legitimately the best in the division.

Melendez came into the bout as a former champion in Strikeforce and WEC. The legitimacy of his contendership was never in question. Now his accomplishments just show the potential Pettis has to run the division.

Travis Browne vs. Brendan Schaub

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Travis Browne claimed victory in Part 2 of UFC 181’s heavyweight doubleheader with a key win over Brendan Schaub. Hapa was able to grapple Schaub to the ground and surprised fans with the ability to earn the finish from back mount with just 10 seconds left in the first round.

The most surprising element of Browne's win was his ability to out-grapple Schaub. Combined with his ability to knock out opponents in the stand up game, he really did a lot to show that he is still evolving as a fighter. 

The win recaptures some of the momentum Browne had before dropping a unanimous decision to Fabricio Werdum in April. With Vai Cavalo now holding the interim belt, that loss doesn’t really limit where Browne can go next. He’s once again among the top contenders for the belt.

For Schaub this is just the latest sign that he’s nothing more than a mid-tier heavyweight fighter. He’s now 2-4 in his last six fights. He’ll need to get a win his next time out to prove he’s still worthy of a roster spot.

Todd Duffee vs. Anthony Hamilton

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After two long years away from the Octagon, Todd Duffee had his hand raised against Anthony Hamilton via knockout 33 seconds into Round 1.

Duffee wasted no time in announcing his comeback to fans against a clearly overmatched opponent. The two heavyweights went right to exchanging at the opening of the round when Duffee landed a crisp left-right combination that sent Hamilton crumbling to the mat.

This win speaks to the kind of potential that fans have always seen in Duffee. His only losses remain to Mike Russow in one of the more shocking comebacks in UFC history and against Alistair Overeem back in 2010.

With this win, there’s a glimmer of hope that the power that made him an intriguing heavyweight prospect still applies to the 29-year-old.

For Hamilton this likely puts him on the hot seat, if not the chopping block. With a 1-2 record in the UFC he’ll need to win his next fight if he wants to keep a career going in the organization.

Tony Ferguson vs. Abel Trujillo

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Tony Ferguson kicked off the highly anticipated card by extending his win streak in the UFC to four with a second-round submission win over Abel Trujillo in lightweight action.

El Cucuy's heart was on full display in this one, as Trujillo took control of the fight early on. After opening up a cut on Ferguson's right eye, it appeared that he might add another first-round finish to his resume.

But Ferguson was not to be denied as he took down a winded Trujillo and ultimately earned the tap.  

The former Ultimate Fighter might be in line for an even bigger step in competition in his next pay-per-view appearance. With just one loss to Michael Johnson on his record in the UFC, the time to take the kid gloves off is now.

For Trujillo, he’ll need to go back to the drawing board. After a layoff that extended all the way back to February, this was not the way to take advantage of his momentum from winning against Jamie Varner last time out.