UFC 181 Preview: Two Big Title Fights, Loaded Card, Live Coverage Tonight
After a short break following Thanksgiving, UFC returns this weekend with a loaded UFC 181 show featuring two championship fights. For all intents and purposes this will be the biggest UFC show since July, and they're going to keep getting bigger until February.
Johny Hendricks will defend his UFC Welterweight championship against the man he earned it from, #1 ranked Robbie Lawler. The title was vacated when Georges St-Pierre took a sabbatical, a wide-eyed Hendricks grabbed the brass ring.
Robbie Lawler's story mirrors that of Mark Hunt, as a seemingly one dimensional underdog who fought his way back to title contention. Lawler's career was a roller coaster that finally gained traction when he returned to the UFC. While the first fight was close, Hendricks was dealing with a severe biceps injury, and almost withdrew from the bout. This fight was originally set for February, and with it being pushed up, many are suggesting Hendricks is entering the cage too early.
Human highlight reel Anthony "Showtime" Pettis will also be competing for the first time since winning the UFC Lightweight title in August 2013, as he takes on perennial title contender Gilbert Melendez. Both men are facing layoffs of over a year, so that dynamic will be an interesting one. The two also coached season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, which saw them featured very little on the program as compared to previous years.
The UFC 181 main card also features a pair of heavyweight bouts as #3-ranked Travis Browne takes on Brendan Schaub as he hopes to inch towards a title shot, and longtime prospect Todd Duffee meets Anthony Hamilton. "Longtime prospect" may seem like an oxymoron, but at only 29, Duffee is still a baby in the UFC's heavyweight division, but has shown glimpses of greatness.
In an underrated bout that kicks off the main card, Tony Ferguson will take on hard-hitting Abel Trujillo. Despite not being ranked, Ferguson has won an impressive 6 of 7 UFC fights, 9 of 10 if you include his stint on The Ultimate Fighter. A win over Trujillo would likely catapult him towards the top-15, but Trujillo is no easy out having just lost one of his 5 UFC fights.
If you're not down to order the pay-per-view but still want to watch some fights, bantamweight legend Urijah Faber (#2), will take on #11-ranked Francisco Rivera on Fox Sports 1. Also, Ultimate Fighter winners Corey Anderson and Eddie Gordon are both in action and looked extremely impressive in their last bouts.
For UFC Fight Pass subscribers, you can also catch Anthony Pettis' brother Sergio on the early prelims as he takes on Matt Hobar. All in all, this card has the potential to be a barn-burner from top to bottom.
As far as main event and co-main events go, there are few shows better off than UFC 181. The loss of Holly Holm's debut hampered the show a bit, but it's still a loaded show all things considered. We'll have full live coverage of the event starting with the prelims this evening.