UFC 181

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]

UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II
The poster for UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II
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

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

1. For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
2. For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
3. 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

See also

• List of UFC events
• 2014 in UFC