Tonight, UFC 171 started off weak with many decision wins, but thanks to the main event, things finally got a bit more interesting. Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler was, without a doubt, a bloody damn exciting bout from the very first round. No surprise here since both are power punchers, so it ended up being-a-back forth war for the UFC welterweight title.
After five rounds, Hendricks picked up the win in the judges eyes and is now officially the champion in the division that Georges St-Pierre dominated since 2008. In the first two rounds, Hendricks had the upper hand with leg kicks and overall landed more strikes than Lawler, who had one hell of a great takedown defense against Hendricks tonight. Lawler had his first dominant round in the third, out striking Hendricks this time and nearly dazing him with vicious hooks and overhand lefts. This continued for Lawler in the forth, however, Hendricks came back in the final seconds of the round, scoring his first takedown after five attempts. The fifth round was obviously the determining round, and both fighters took it to each other with lots of jabs, and hooks. Hendricks wobbled Lawler near the end of the round and hit a takedown with 60 seconds left, winning the welterweight strap by decision.
Like I said earlier, it was a very exciting fight and it sounds like Tyron Woodley may be next in line for a title shot. For more UFC 171 results and bonuses, continue reading right below.
Main Card (PPV)
Johny Hendricks (c) def. Robbie Lawler Decision (unanimous)
Tyron Woodley def. Carlos Condit TKO (leg injury)
Myles Jury def. Diego Sanchez Decision (unanimous)
Hector Lombard def. Jake Shields Decision (unanimous)
Ovince St. Preux def. Nikita Krylov Technical Submission (Von Flue choke)
Preliminary card (Fox Sports 2)
Kelvin Gastelum def. Rick Story Decision (split)
Jessica Andrade def. Raquel Pennington Decision (split)
Dennis Bermudez def. Jimy Hettes TKO (strikes)
Alex Garcia def. Sean Spencer Decision (split)
Preliminary card (UFC Fight Pass)
Francisco Trevinodef. Renee Forte Decision (unanimous)
Justin Scoggins def. Will Campuzano Decision (unanimous)
Sean Strickland def. Robert McDaniel Submission (rear-naked choke)
Robert Whiteford def. Daniel Pineda Decision (unanimous)
UFC 171 Bonuses
Fight of the Night: Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
Performance of the Night: Ovince St. Preux and Dennis Bermudez
