''UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II'' was a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event held on December 6, 2014, at
Mandalay Bay Events Center
The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts In ...
in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
.
Background
UFC 181 was the organization's 300th event and was expected to be headlined by a
Middleweight Championship bout between the current champion
and top contender
Vitor Belfort
VĂtor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
.
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
''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Background
A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...
. The new main event was a Welterweight championship rematch between champion
Johny Hendricks
Johny Harvey Hendricks (born September 12, 1983) is an American former mixed martial artist and collegiate wrestler. He competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a former UFC Welterwei ...
and number one contender
Robbie Lawler
Robert Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist who has been competing since 2001. He is the former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforce, ...
. Their first fight at
UFC 171
''UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held on March 15, 2014, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The event was released on DVD on June 17, 2014. The DVD was distributed by '' Anchor Bay Entertai ...
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
Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of the ...
made his first title defense against
Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwe ...
.
Gian Villante
Gianpiero Villante (born August 18, 1985) is a retired American mixed martial artist who previously fought in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional from 2009 to 2021, he also has competed for Strikeforce ...
was expected to face
Corey Anderson at the event. However, Villante pulled out of the fight citing an injury and was replaced by
Jonathan Wilson.
A few days later, it was announced that Wilson was forced out of the fight and undefeated newcomer Justin Jones took his place.
Touted newcomer,
Holly Holm
Holly Rene Holm (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist, who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and a former professional boxer. She was a multiple-time wor ...
was expected to face
Raquel Pennington
Raquel Len Pennington (born September 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in Ultimate Fighting Championship women's featherweight division. She has previously fought for Invicta Fighting Championships. As of May 23, 2022, ...
at this event. However, Holm pulled out of the fight in mid-November, citing a neck injury. Holm was replaced by UFC newcomer
Ashlee Evans-Smith
Ashlee Nicole Evans-Smith (born July 9, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's women's flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She has her own podcast called Sex & Violence with Rebel Girl. Mix ...
.
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
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
had signed a multi-fight deal and was expected to debut in 2015, but after an injury ultimately debuted in September 2016.
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. On February 17, the
Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
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.
Results
Bonus awards
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
*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
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.
* 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
This is a list of events held and scheduled by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. UFC's first event, UFC 1, took place on November 12, 1993. Each UFC event contains several fight ...
*
2014 in UFC
References
{{UFC Events
Ultimate Fighting Championship events
Mixed martial arts in Las Vegas
2014 in mixed martial arts