Who Won The UFC Lightweight Title Fight?, Performance Bonuses Announced

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis was almost a victim of what many were calling the "Wheaties curse," as he's the first MMA fighter to be featured on the iconic cereal box. Fortunately for him, and Wheaties, he was able to mount an impressive comeback and defend his UFC Lightweight championship for the first time at UFC 181.

Challenger Gilbert Melendez came into the bout with an excellent gameplan, pressing the action against the cage after wading in with effective combinations. This led to Melendez taking down Pettis a few times, unable to do anything on the ground.

In the second round, Pettis blasted Melendez with a big shot, and jumped right in with a guillotine choke. Pettis quickly turned into mount and vanquished his foe, winning his second consecutive fight via submission.

Following the bout, Melendez called Pettis "the new guard," and was gracious in defeat. After the show concluded the UFC ran a highlight reel of undefeated Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov, who will likely be getting the next title shot.

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

Elsewhere on the card, #3-ranked heavyweight Travis Browne won via TKO over Brendan Schaub, and #3-ranked bantamweight Urijah Faber defeated #11-ranked Francisco Rivera via submission after a controversial eye poke.

Anthony Pettis' brother Sergio Pettis got Fight of the Night honors along with Matt Hobar for their prelim bout. Anthony Pettis and Josh Samman took home the remaining performances bonuse for an extra $50,000.