New UFC Champion Crowned In Controversial Decision, Their Next Opponent

Robbie Lawler is a Cinderella story. Robbie Lawler is UFC Welterweight champion.

After five grueling rounds, Lawler got the nod in a highly controversial decision over Johny Hendricks at UFC 181. Lawler clearly won rounds 1 and 5, as he came out aggressive in the first round, taking the fight to Hendricks and keeping him out of his comfort zone. That pace soon slowed down, and Lawler couldn't get much offense going from rounds 2-4.

Hendricks utilized a jab-straight-leg kick combo at least a dozen times in the fight, exposing Lawler for being flat footed. Hendricks would also take down the challenger five times, but failed another twelve times, which led to a lot of Octagon time being spent on the wall.

Read: "UFC 181: Hendricks Vs. Lawler II" Results: Two Championships Decided, CM Punk Signs

In the fifth round Hendricks was visibly stalling, trying to wait out the round and cruise to victory. Lawler was able to stuff a takedown and attack the body of Hendricks, which caused the champion to give up his takedown attempt. Back on the feet Lawler totally lit up Hendricks, winning him the round.

When the scorecards were read, the first surprisingly scored the fight for Lawler, although plausible given MMA's scoring system. The second gave Hendricks the 48-47 nod, with the third being scored 49-46 for Lawler, meaning the judge thought he only won one round.Throughout the duration of the bout, all the way to the close of the show, color commentator Joe Rogan questioned the decision.

Nevertheless, this is a huge comeback story for Robbie Lawler, who lost to unranked Lorenz Larkin just a few short years ago. He also went on a streak where he had only four wins in ten fights before rejoining the UFC.

25-year old Rory MacDonald is penciled in as the next UFC title challenger. Lawler defeated him in another close fight in 2013, which led to Dana White publicly scolding MacDonald for inactivity. The fight will take place in Canada in 2015.