UFC 181

UFC mixed martial arts event in 2014

UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II

The poster for UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II

Information

Promotion

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Date

December 6, 2014 (2014-12-06)

Venue

Mandalay Bay Events Center

City

Las Vegas, Nevada

Attendance

11,617^[1]

Total gate

$2.488 million^[1]

Buyrate

400,000^[2]

Event chronology

UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson

UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II

The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale

UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II was a mixed martial arts event held on December 6, 2014, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[3]

Background

UFC 181 was the organization's 300th event and was expected to be headlined by a Middleweight Championship bout between the current champion Chris Weidman and top contender Vitor Belfort.^[3] However, on September 22, it was announced that Weidman had suffered a broken hand and the bout was again rescheduled to take place at UFC 184. The new main event was a Welterweight championship rematch between champion Johny Hendricks and number one contender Robbie Lawler.^[4] Their first fight at UFC 171 ended in a unanimous decision victory in favor of the reigning champion.

Co-featured on the card was a Lightweight Championship bout, which also served as the coaches bout for The Ultimate Fighter Season 20, as current champion Anthony Pettis made his first title defense against Gilbert Melendez.^[5]

Gian Villante was expected to face Corey Anderson at the event. However, Villante pulled out of the fight citing an injury^[6] and was replaced by Jonathan Wilson.^[7] A few days later, it was announced that Wilson was forced out of the fight and undefeated newcomer Justin Jones took his place.^[8]

Touted newcomer, Holly Holm was expected to face Raquel Pennington at this event. However, Holm pulled out of the fight in mid-November, citing a neck injury.^[9] Holm was replaced by UFC newcomer Ashlee Evans-Smith.^[10]

The unique poster and keyart for the event featured a comicbook style fight scene, drawn by noted DC Comics artist Howard Porter.

During the PPV broadcast, it was announced that former professional wrestler and WWE Champion CM Punk had signed a multi-fight deal and was expected to debut in 2015, but after an injury ultimately debuted in September 2016.^[11]

A month subsequent to the event, on January 7, 2015, it was revealed that Ashlee Evans-Smith had failed her post-fight drug test, testing positive for a diuretic.^[12] On February 17, the Nevada State Athletic Commission ultimately decided to issue a nine-month suspension and fined her 30 percent of her purse ($2,400). She also was required to pass an additional drug test at the conclusion of her suspension before getting clearance to fight.^[13]

Results

Main Card
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Welterweight	Robbie Lawler	def.	Johny Hendricks (c)	Decision (split) (48–47, 47–48, 49–46)	5	5:00	^[a]
Lightweight	Anthony Pettis (c)	def.	Gilbert Melendez	Submission (guillotine choke)	2	1:53	^[b]
Heavyweight	Travis Browne	def.	Brendan Schaub	TKO (punches)	1	4:50
Heavyweight	Todd Duffee	def.	Anthony Hamilton	KO (punch)	1	0:33
Lightweight	Tony Ferguson	def.	Abel Trujillo	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	4:19
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
Bantamweight	Urijah Faber	def.	Francisco Rivera	Submission (bulldog choke)	2	1:34
Middleweight	Josh Samman	def.	Eddie Gordon	KO (head kick)	2	3:08
Light Heavyweight	Corey Anderson	def.	Justin Jones	Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–26)	3	5:00
Women's Bantamweight	Raquel Pennington	def.	Ashlee Evans-Smith	Technical Submission (bulldog choke)	1	4:59	^[c]
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Bantamweight	Sergio Pettis	def.	Matt Hobar	Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27)	3	5:00
Featherweight	Clay Collard	def.	Alex White	Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)	3	5:00

^ For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
^ For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
^ Evans-Smith tested positive for a diuretic in her post-fight drug test.

^[14]

Bonus awards

The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:^[15]

Fight of the Night: Sergio Pettis vs. Matt Hobar
Performance of the Night: Anthony Pettis and Josh Samman

Reported payout

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.^[16]

Robbie Lawler: $220,000 (includes $110,000 win bonus) def. Johny Hendricks: $150,000
Anthony Pettis: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Gilbert Melendez: $200,000
Travis Browne: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Brendan Schaub: $32,000
Todd Duffee: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Hamilton: $10,000
Tony Ferguson: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) def. Abel Trujillo: $14,000
Urijah Faber: $140,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus) def. Francisco Rivera: $20,000
Josh Samman: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Eddie Gordon: $15,000
Corey Anderson: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Justin Jones: $8,000
Raquel Pennington: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Ashlee Evans-Smith: $8,000
Sergio Pettis: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Matt Hobar: $10,000
Clay Collard: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Alex White: $8,000

References

^ ^a ^b Staff (December 7, 2014). "UFC 181 draws reported 11,617 attendance for $34.488 million gate". MMAjunkie.com.
^ "Pay-per-view". mmapayout.com. December 6, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Staff (2014-07-23). "Weidman to defend title against Belfort". UFC.com. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
^ Staff (2014-09-22). "Weidman Hurt; Hendricks-Lawler II Now Headlines UFC 181". ufc.com. Retrieved 2014-09-22.
^ Sam Genovase (2014-07-22). "Anthony Pettis to return, will defend title". oneworldsports.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
^ Staff (2014-11-13). "Gian Villante out at UFC 181, promotion seeks replacement for Corey Anderson". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
^ Thomas Gerbasi (2014-11-18). "Wilson replaces injured Villante at UFC 181". ufc.com. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
^ Thomas Gerbasi (2014-11-24). "Newcomer Jones to face Anderson at UFC 181". ufc.com. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
^ AP Newswire (2014-11-13). "Holly Holm pulls out of UFC debut". espn.go.com. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
^ Mike Jackson (2014-11-18). "Ashlee Evans-Smith signs with UFC, replaces Holly Holm". mikethetruth.com. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
^ Mike Bohn (2014-12-07). "Former WWE wrestler Phil 'CM Punk' Brooks signs with UFC for expected 2015 debut". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-12-07.
^ Steven Marrocco (2015-01-07). "Ashlee Evans-Smith on NSAC agenda; UFC notifies camp of failed drug test". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
^ Staff (2015-02-17). "NSAC issues temporary suspensions to Silva, Diaz and Lombard; Evans-Smith suspended". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
^ "UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
^ Staff (2014-12-06). "UFC 181 Bonuses: Anthony Pettis, Sergio Pettis, Josh Samman, Matt Hobar Get $50K". sherdog.com.
^ Staff (December 8, 2014). "UFC 181 salaries: New champ Robbie Lawler ($220,000) earns top payout". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.