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UFC 181 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's round by round report for "Hendricks vs. Lawler II" event
Dec 6, 2014 - 11:50:48 PM UFC 181 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's round by round report for "Hendricks vs. Lawler II" event

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC 181 "HENDRICKS VS. LAWLER II"
DECEMBER 6, 2014
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims=====

-Clay Collard def. Alex White via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Note: Massively sloppy fight with very little in the way of defense from either fighter. Still, it was entertaining, at least. Collard edging the decision was fine.

-Sergio Pettis def. Matt Hobar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Note: Hobar dropped Pettis with the first strike of the fight, but it was almost all Pettis from there. He worked well off the bottom in the first, beat up Hobar on the feet in the second, and was effective enough in the third to put it away.


=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====

-Quick intro from Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan, then it's quick to the promo for our first televised fight of the night.

PRELIM FIGHT ONE: RAQUEL PENNINGTON VS. ASHLEE EVANS-SMITH (WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Pennington pressed in early and clinched, but Evans-Smith turned her around. Evans-Smith got in a few good strikes and they battled for position on the cage. Evans-Smith completed a takedown off a high single leg. Evans-Smith tried to work from half guard, but she wasn't doing a ton offensively. Pennington got back to full guard. She got her legs up high and tried to trap an arm. She managed to work back up on a scramble, but she ate a knee. Evans-Smith held Pennington at the cage in the clinch. Pennington tried to sneak behind her, and managed to do just that. Evans-Smith turned back into her. They traded clinch strikes. Pennington was cut up. They each connected on some hard strikes in the clinch, with Evans-Smith getting the better of it. Pennington's face was busted up, with a nasty cut right in the middle of her forehead. More strikes landed for each in the clinch. Evans-Smith got in a couple of hard knees, then Pennington scored a brief takedown. Evans-Smith got up. Pennington grabbed a standing bulldog choke and brought her down. It looked like she went unconscious, but they cut away for a commercial break!

WINNER: Pennington via submission (bulldog choke) at 4:59 of the first round.

STAR RATING: (***) Sick, sick finish from Pennington. She was on her way to clearly losing that round, she was busted up badly, was getting out-struck and out-battled in the clinch, then locked on that choke out of nowhere at the end to put her out cold. Awesome finish from Pennington.


PRELIM FIGHT TWO: COREY ANDERSON VS. JUSTIN JONES (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Jones came straight ahead, with Anderson pawing out a few jabs. Anderson shot in but got stuffed. Anderson popped in a solid right hand through Jones' defense. Anderson landed a hard body kick, then got in a nice right hand behind it. Jones got in a couple of strikes and shot in, but got stuffed. He covered up from a couple of shots and landed a nice left hook to back Anderson up. He barely missed a jab as he moved forward. Jones landed a nice left hook. Anderson avoided a quick rush. Jones went to the lead hook again. Anderson shot in, Jones grabbed for a guillotine. He used it to get up, but Anderson teed off on him against the cage with several strikes. Jones came right back forward. He landed a nice body strike. He clinched, and Anderson tried to control him. Anderson jumped in with a knee after backing off. He stayed on the clinch for a bit, then backed off. Jones threw a heavy right that was blocked. He landed a hard two-punch combo that snapped Anderson's head. Anderson shot in, but Jones held it off on the cage. Jones tried for a guillotine, but didn't get it. He worked back to his feet and landed a hard knee to the body. He got in another after eating a punch. Jones landed a hard body kick, then a punch. Anderson snuck behind him on the feet and dragged him down. He briefly had mount, but Jones moved it to half guard. Jones tried to grab a choke off his back, and got to his feet before the round ended. Competitive fight here.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Anderson. He was a bit more successful with what he wanted to do, but the late notice middleweight Jones is doing a solid job in a higher weight class here.

ROUND TWO: Anderson missed a right and ate a left. Jones landed a good kick to the body, then stuffed a shot from Anderson at the cage. Anderson got in a few knees at the cage. He finally backed off and Jones tried to move ahead. Jones landed a nice right hand. Anderson shot in and got him off balance at the cage. Jones got to his knees and worked to his feet again. Anderson got in a few hard knees. He backed off and landed a right hand, then went back to the knees. Jones got in a knee to the body. Anderson stayed busy in the clinch. Jones got in a couple of knees of his own. They continued trading strikes in the clinch. Anderson backed off with a right hand. Anderson connected to the body. Jones landed a hard leg kick. He got in another. They both landed hard punches in a good exchange. Jones went back to that leg kick. Anderson landed a few punches as he tried to circle around. Jones again landed to the leg. Jones with another hard leg kick. He landed a left. Anderson clinched, then snuck behind him. He tried to trip Jones up, but couldn't. Anderson completed the takedown by the cage. Jones avoided too much damage before the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Anderson. Jones still has power, but he's fading, and Anderson's taking advantage.

ROUND THREE: Jones got in that leg kick early. Anderson clinched as he got close and they traded strikes in the clinch at the cage. Anderson landed a couple of hard knees to the body. Anderson looked to drop for a double leg. He picked Jones up, and ran across the cage with him. Jones tried to grab for a choke, but he didn't have anything as Anderson moved to side control. Jones turned into him. Anderson tried to set up a front choke, but gave it up. Jones got to the cage, but Anderson stayed heavy on him. Jones worked to his feet, but only briefly. Anderson stayed on him as Jones again tried to stand at the cage. Jones scrambled and got to his feet with just under two minutes left. Anderson landed a spinning elbow and stayed in the clinch. Anderson again went for the takedown, fighting out of a half hearted guillotine. Jones just ran out of energy here. Anderson went for the Americana, but Jones avoided it. Jones offered little resistance off his back, and Anderson ground out the round with a few strikes.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Anderson. Jones just didn't have the energy to stop the takedowns or get up in that round. Not a horrible effort given he moved up in weight on short notice for the fight, but Anderson's wrestling game won out here.

WINNER: Anderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

STAR RATING: (**-) The first seven or eight minutes was alright, the last half dragged as Jones got tired and Anderson went to his wrestling game to control things.


PRELIM FIGHT THREE: EDDIE GORDON VS. JOSH SAMMAN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Gordon caught a kick and Samman went down, but popped up in a scramble. He scored a takedown, but got quickly reversed and they separated. Samman rushed with an exchange but caught Gordon in the groin with a knee. Brief break, then Samman came back with some kicks. Samman tried to grab a body lock after a couple kicks, but Gordon countered and Samman was on his back. Samman defended well from the guard. Gordon wasn't doing much of anything from the top. He stayed busy with strikes, but wasn't really doing anything of note. Gordon landed body shots, but that was it as Herb Dean was warning of a stand up. Finally he did. Samman landed a hard body kick. He went high. He landed several kicks in a row to the body and head. Gordon shot in and Samman couldn't hold the takedown off. Gordon tried to set something up from the half guard. He got in a couple of elbows. Samman regained full guard. Samman tried to sit up, trying to isolate an arm. Gordon landed some body shots, but again didn't do much of anything significant. He ended the round on top.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Gordon. Simply for the top control here, as Samman didn't do enough offensively to negate the time on his back. Still, Gordon didn't do much outside of the takedowns.

ROUND TWO: Gordon landed a right hand, then Samman responded with a better one. He nearly got Gordon's back on the ground, but was up too high, and Gordon wound up on top. Bad spot for Samman at this point. Samman tried to create space on his back. Gordon again not even trying to pass the guard. The crowd booed. Samman got his back to the cage. Samman tried to set up a triangle choke. Gordon threw punches but they weren't landing. This is not a good fight. Lay and pray from Gordon and they were stood up. Samman needs to do something. Samman landed a nice combination. He landed a head kick and Gordon went out cold. Walk off. There it is. Freaking awesome kick from Samman.

WINNER: Samman via KO at 3:08 of the second round

STAR RATING: (**+) Really dull fight until the finish, which is as must-see of a highlight as you're going to find in this sport. Seriously, if you're not watching tonight, find this finish as soon as possible.


PRELIM FIGHT FOUR: URIJAH FABER VS. FRANCISCO RIVERA (BANTAMWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Both circled around each other a bit, testing out the range. Neither threw much early on. Rivera missed a big overhand right. Faber landed a nice left. He landed another as Rivera was slipped up. Faber rushed in and got in a knee out of a clinch. Rivera landed a hard kick. Faber got in a nice right hand. Rivera landed a left. They continued to stand off. Rivera got in a hard kick. Faber landed a left hook. Rivera got in a right hand. Competitive opener here. Rivera stuffed a takedown and landed a few kicks to end the round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Rivera. Faber got in some decent offense midway through the round, but Rivera started to pile on late.

ROUND TWO: Faber feinted and avoided a counter. After some back and forth, Faber rocked Rivera. He went to lock on a choke on the side. He got on a bulldog choke and Rivera was forced to tap. Rough start, but sick finish from Faber. On replay, Rivera got rocked by an eyepoke that was missed by Mario Yamasaki that set up that finish. Unfortunate.

WINNER: Faber via submission (bulldog choke) at 1:31 of the second round

STAR RATING: (**+) Again, unfortunate that the finish happened like that, but it's another situation that is bound to happen when eye pokes aren't at all penalized by officials.


=====Pay-Per-View Main Card=====


MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: TONY FERGUSON VS. ABEL TRUJILLO (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Ferguson landed a couple of leg kicks early. Trujillo pushed in but Ferguson backed up nicely. Ferguson landed a hard kick to the body. Trujillo knocked Ferguson down in an exchange. Ferguson got up after a brief scramble and covered up as Trujillo tried to capitalize. Ferguson landed a nice left as Trujillo came in. Trujillo landed an uppercut. He got in another combination. Ferguson fired back. Trujillo caught a kick and scored a takedown. He went for a guillotine, but Ferguson used it to stand. Trujillo just missed a strike on the release. Ferguson tried to be the aggressor. He landed a strike, but Trujillo got him back to the ground. Ferguson utilized a high guard. He went for an armbar but lost it. Trujillo landed some big strikes. Ferguson scrambled again and got to his feet, moving straight ahead. Trujillo landed a couple of strikes. Ferguson landed a hard right hand that hurt Trujillo. He landed a jab. Ferguson landed a nice jab. They traded shots. Ferguson continued moving forward. Ferguson got in a jumping knee, then a leg kick, landing a couple more before the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Trujillo. Ferguson came back strong late, but Trujillo did enough early to hold onto the round.

ROUND TWO: Ferguson looked much fresher to start the second. Ferguson landed a nice left hook. He got in a jab. He rushed Trujillo to the cage and got in a kick. Trujillo clinched, but Ferguson got loose. Ferguson backed Trujillo up again, then sprawled on a takedown attempt. Ferguson briefly went for the D'Arce choke, then tried to take Trujillo's back. Ferguson lost an attempted submission and wound up on the bottom. Bad move from him. Ferguson landed an upkick and scrambled to his feet. Ferguson turned Trujillo around, then took him down. He landed some strikes on the side. He looked to set up a side choke, then landed a knee to the body. He nearly dragged Trujillo back, but lost it as Trujillo scrambled to his feet. Another scramble as Trujillo attempted a takedown. Ferguson kept pressure on. He landed a front kick to the body. He grabbed a front headlock and dragged Trujillo down. He transitioned to take his back. Ferguson landed some hammerfists. Ferguson locked on a rear naked choke tight and pulled back, forcing the tap. Great second round from Ferguson.

WINNER: Ferguson via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:19 of the second round

STAR RATING: (**+) Good work from Ferguson after the early rush from Trujillo. It's what he needed to do, he did it, and he picks up his fourth straight win in the lightweight division.

- Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, is UFC bound. He was brought in with Joe Rogan to announce that he's signed a multi-fight deal with the organization, and will make his debut in 2015 likely at middleweight, but potentially at welterweight. He said he's here "to get my ass kicked or to kick somebody's ass."


MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: TODD DUFFEE VS. ANTHONY HAMILTON (HEAVYWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Duffee stepped to the center and threw a right hand. Hamilton tried to clinch, then swung and missed. They traded strikes, with Duffee getting the better of it. Duffee landed a big right hand and Hamilton flattened. Yeah, Hamilton was the sacrificial lamb there, but good to see Duffee get back to it after two years out.

WINNER: Duffee via KO at :33 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**) Pretty much what should have been expected out of this one. Hamilton's not a good fighter, and even though he's been out two years, Duffee's power was always going to win out in this one.

-UFC 182 promo. They're using the "leaked" interview footage between Jones and Cormier. Alright, I can dig it. Can't wait for that fight.


MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: TRAVIS BROWNE VS. BRENDAN SCHAUB (HEAVYWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Browne took the center and had Schaub circling with his back to the cage. Browne missed a left hand. Schaub missed an overhand right. Both came close. Browne caught a kick and threw Schaub down, but Schaub jumped up. Browne got in a solid knee in the clinch and shoved Schaub aside. Schaub landed a couple of punches. Browne avoided a rush of strikes. Browne landed a straight left. Schaub tried to rush in with strikes, but didn't connect. He shot in and scored the takedown. Browne hit a switch and got up, but Schaub stayed on him. Browne got up again, but Schaub stayed close into a clinch. They separated. Browne landed an uppercut as Schaub stepped in. Browne followed him to the ground, got to mount briefly, but Schaub managed to get out. Browne moved back to mount. Schaub got him back to half guard. Browne continued trying to pick his spots. Schaub gave up his back. Browne flattened him out. Schaub was given a warning to fight back and he got to his knees. Shots landed to the back of the head for a warning. Browne kept trying to flatten him out. Schaub tried to hold on, but Browne kept throwing, and Mario Yamasaki stepped in late. Good win for Browne.

WINNER: Browne via TKO at 4:50 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**+) Very good performance from Browne. Dropped him with a big uppercut, worked patiently from the top, and finished with ground and pound.


MAIN CARD FIGHT FOUR: ANTHONY PETTIS VS. GILBERT MELENDEZ (UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)

ROUND ONE: Melendez pressed Pettis back. Pettis landed a leg kick and Melendez shot in. Pettis stuffed the first attempt. Melendez backed off and Pettis landed a kick. Melendez dragged him down briefly, then Pettis got to his feet. He blocked some knees from Melendez at the cage. Melendez tried to take Pettis' back. Melendez stayed tight as he put a hook in standing. He landed some strikes, but Pettis blocked most. The crowd booed Melendez's stalled clinch. Pettis tried to turn back into him, and got free. Pettis landed a jab. Melendez backed him up and shot in again. He scored another takedown. No space given to the Champ. Melendez dragged his feet down and landed a couple of strikes. Pettis popped to a knee. He gave a bored look to the referee. Pettis landed some short strikes and pressed Melendez off with a kick. He landed a spinning kick to the body and Melendez was back in to the clinch. Melendez backed off. Pettis got in a jab. They traded strikes and Melendez went for a single leg. He landed a few strikes. Pettis fired back a left hook. Melendez got in a few left hands. Pettis stuffed a shot. He threw in a flying knee. Pettis landed a left. Melendez threw a combo and shot again at the cage. He backed off and landed a right. Pettis landed a kick to the body. He got in a punch and a kick to the body again. They exchanged strikes at the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Melendez. Pettis is getting in the better strikes, but Melendez's clinch control took the first frame.

ROUND TWO: Melendez again came straight ahead. They traded lefts. Pettis landed a jab and backed out. Melendez rushed, but Pettis circled out. He landed another jab. Pettis hurt him with a right hand. Melendez grabbed for a single right after it. Pettis landed some strikes. He backed Melendez off and they traded. Melendez kept chasing and got rocked by two more right hands. He shot in again. Pettis held him off. Melendez landed a combo to the body, and Pettis landed a hard left. Pettis landed a front kick to the face. Melendez tried to walk him down and they traded. Pettis landed several strikes. Melendez dropped for a single. Pettis locked on a guillotine and pulled guard. He turned it over to mount and Melendez tapped!

WINNER: Pettis via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:53 of the second round

STAR RATING: (***+) That was incredible. Melendez put his best gameplan forward in the first, and was effective enough to win the round. Pettis adjusted, landed strikes every time Melendez got close, and then rocked him before locking on that guillotine choke. He's the best lightweight in the world without question.


MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: JOHNY HENDRICKS VS. ROBBIE LAWLER (WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)

ROUND ONE: Lawler rushed in with strikes. He landed a couple knees in the clinch. He rocked Hendricks again with more knees. Knees to the body in the clinch. He started firing wildly. Hendricks fired back. They clinched and Lawler got in more knees. Lawler trying to end this as quick as possible. He landed more knees and Hendricks drove him to the cage looking for the takedown. Lawler stuffed it and landed a short elbow. Lawler landed a few more knees. Hendricks succeeded in slowing things down at the cage, keeping Lawler's back pressed. Hendricks dropped down again, but Lawler continued to hold off the attempt. He landed some knees. Lawler landed some knees to the body. He got one in to the head, then went back to the body. Hendricks dropped again, with Lawler continuing to throw strikes and hold him off. Lawler landed another knee to the body. They traded knees to the body. Lawler got in some more. Hendricks got in a knee and backed off. Hendricks landed an inside leg kick. Hendricks threw the overhand left, then got in a combo ending in a leg kick. Lawler's attack seriously slowed. Hendricks got in a good combo and shot in again. He secured the takedown with 30 seconds left. Hendricks finished the round on top.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lawler. He was more effective through two thirds of the round, Hendricks had a strong final third, but not enough to steal it for me.

ROUND TWO: They traded strikes. Lawler got in a body kick. Lawler landed a straight left, then a head kick, and another left. Hendricks landed a body kick. Hendricks landed a left hook. He got inside with a kick. Lawler landed a nice jab. Lawler landed a nice short elbow as he stepped in. Hendricks landed a couple of leg kicks. Lawler landed a hard right hand. Hendricks got in a good combination starting with a straight right. Hendricks landed another nice combination and backed Lawler up. He shot in at the cage and got stuffed in the clinch. Hendricks got in some hard knees to Lawler's right leg. Lawler got in some elbows. Hendricks nearly got him down, then finally secured the takedown. Hendricks got in a few strikes and tried to drag him down further. Lawler sat up with his back on the cage. Hendricks landed a good knee to the body. Lawler tried to control his arm to get back up, but got stalled. The crowd got a bit restless before Lawler exploded to his feet. He landed a front kick to the face and pressed Hendricks back. Hendricks got back inside with the leg kick. Hendricks landed a nice right hand, then got in a couple more leg kicks. Lawler fired off a few strikes. Hendricks connected on a combo. He caught a kick and landed a strikes. Lawler slipped on a kick. Hendricks grabbed for a front choke as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hendricks. Much more effective round for the Champ. Lawler got in some offense, but not nearly enough.

ROUND THREE: They traded some kicks early. Hendricks landed a right. Hendricks fired off four strikes in combination. Lawler moved forward, but again Hendricks got off with several strikes in a row. Lawler landed a body kick. Hendricks with five fights in combination, while Lawler continued to fire off one or two at a time. Hendricks again with a combination, and this is quickly going south for Lawler. Hendricks got in with another rush of strikes. Hendricks again landed a few punches before ending with a leg kick. He got in again with another hard combination. Lawler is getting cracked left and right here. Hendricks shot in and scored an easy takedown with a minute and a half left. Lawler worked to his feet, but Hendricks stayed on him to the cage and looked for a double leg. He transitioned to a single leg attempt briefly. Lawler continued fighting him off, but then got taken down again. Hendricks ended the round on top again.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hendricks. Lawler's disappeared. He had no offense that round, looked lethargic and already out of it, and Hendricks just peppered him with combinations throughout. This could be over already.

ROUND FOUR: Lawler came forward and fired out some strikes, but they were blocked. Hendricks broke in with a few punches. He got in a knee to the body. Lawler kept moving in, but Hendricks kept beating him to the punch. Hendricks shot in, but Lawler held it off initially. The fight stalled in the clinch and the crowd booed. They were separated with three and a half minutes left. Hendricks landed an uppercut. Hendricks again connected in combination. Hendricks once more with a big right hand. Lawler missed a head kick. He got in a knee to the body but ate a left hand. Hendricks landed another combination. Hendricks with another combo. Lawler landed a left hand. They traded strikes. Lawler went high with the kick again. He landed a right hand. Hendricks shot in again and scored another easy and well-timed takedown. Lawler worked back to his feet after no ground damage. Hendricks kept landing strikes as Lawler tried to press him back. He clinched and grabbed for a single leg. Crowd booed again. Lawler sprawled and landed some hard elbows and punches as Hendricks held onto his leg. He kept landing strikes as the round came to an end.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hendricks. Lawler had a big final flurry, but he has to find a way to finish or Hendricks is retaining here.

ROUND FIVE: Hendricks opened with a right hand. Lawler fired back. They traded strikes and Lawler stuffed a shot. Hendricks pawed out some punches then shot in again Cue another round of boos. Herb Dean warned Hendricks to work and then separated them. Hendricks landed a right hand. Lawler tried to push forward. Lawler landed some body kicks. Hendricks landed a hard body kick and a right hand. Lawler threw a combo. He landed a hard jab. Hendricks shot again and more boos rained down. Lawler stuffed again and landed some elbows. Hendricks stayed on a single. They were separated again. Hendricks just killing time here because he can. Hendricks landed a left. Hendricks shot again. Back to the cage stall with a single leg. More boos. He's not even trying to do anything but stall here because he's clearly ahead. Not pretty, but it's working. Lawler landed some hard strikes. He kept throwing bombs as Hendricks stayed on the single leg. More elbows from Lawler to the body. He backed out and unleashed a big flurry on Hendricks at the cage. He landed several big strikes and kept firing, but it was just not enough.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lawler. Not nearly enough, but even with a win Hendricks probably didn't endear himself to a ton of people with the last seven minutes there. He was the better fighter for probably 14-17 minutes of this fight, but the clearly intentional stalling will bring some detractors.

WINNER: Lawler via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)

STAR RATING: (***-) That decision man. I just don't know. I can see the first, fourth, and fifth potentially going to Lawler, but how did he get four rounds? That just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Lawler did more late, but wow, he was getting lit up in the middle 15 minutes. I'm just not even sure how to react to this one.

-That's the event for tonight. We'll have plenty of reaction to this massively newsworthy event throughout the week as we head into a two event weekend for the UFC next week!