After 9 agonising months of waiting, this Sunday we will finally get to bear witness to 2014's fight of the year, the sequel.
This weekend, Johnny Hendricks will defend his welterweight belt for the first time against the man he beat to claim it. The duo's first battle way back in March, a 25-minute war of attrition is likely to be given the Fight of the Year accolade. That is unless the second part can somehow top the phenomenal first contest.
Bigg Rigg succeeded Georges St-Pierre as king of the 170 lb division at UFC 171 with a dogged performance against Lawler. The Texan took the opening two rounds with a barrage of heavy combinations while Lawler kept eating them like a lunatic, with a demented grin washed over his face. Ruthless made a stellar comeback in the third and fourth before Hendricks's utilised his wrestling prowess in the final stanza to take home the unanimous decision victory by the narrowest of margins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxyDCSt-Zmo
The thing about sequels is, they're rarely as good as the original. For every Godfather Part II and Terminator 2: Judgment Day you've got a plethora of poor follow-ups such as Speed 2: Cruise Control, Teen Wolf Too, Son of the Mask, Mission Impossible Two etc. The list is endless.
This general rule of thumb is also applicable to the world of MMA. Remember Barao v Faber II? The second Silva v Sonnen fight didn't really live up to the hype either. However, given how technically gifted these fighters are, both have reached the zenith of the sport, this one is unlikely to disappoint.
Hendricks is an unusual fighter in that he's an elite wrestler who has the one-punch knockout power of a man twice his size. The phrase 'elite wrestling' is perhaps bandied about too much these days when it comes to MMA but it is certainly not an understatement when describing the talents of the two-time NCAA Division I collegiate champion and four-time All-American.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vz5LmbVKJM
The champ is a grinder, but not in a negative way that you would associate the term with a mediocre fighter. He revealed after that his fight with Lawler, that he defeated the American top Team fighter with a torn bicep. If he's coming into this bout with 100% fitness, he might even improve his performance from the first bout, which is an exciting prospect.
The bicep injury and subsequent surgeries has meant Hendricks has been sidelined for an extended period while Lawler, like a true company man, has stayed busy and has actually looked like he has improved since the title fight. Since March, he knocked out Jake Ellenberger, before comprehensively beating Matt Brown by unanimous decision.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ__DPA5p3A
Not only does he have some of the best stand-up in MMA, he comes fully loaded with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and his wrestling game is vastly underrated. It was only in the final round of their last bout where Hendricks, whose wrestling acumen is among the best in the sport, was able to use his takedowns effectively. That is a remarkable feat.
The fans are in for a real treat, regardless of the outcome of this fight. A match-up against Rory MacDonald, the protégé of the last man to hold the belt, awaits the victor. That is a tantalising prospect.
In the co-main event, former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez takes on Anthony "Showtime" Pettis for the lightweight belt. It will be the first time Pettis has defended the belt since winning it from Benson Henderson by submitting the former champ with a beautifully executed armbar over a year ago at UFC 164.
Pettis is an exciting striker who likes to mix things up on the feet. You've probably already seen his famous running cage-kick that knocked down Benson Henderson, and that's just one example of how the champ innovates with his striking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGaVdlBZCBY
The challenger, Melendez, enters into this bout off a Fight of the Night performance against human-punching bag Diego Sanchez. El Nino is used to high-pressure fights. Remarkably, 10 of his last 11 bouts have been for a belt. He will be looking to set the record straight after losing a controversial split decision to Benson Henderson, which cost him the title in his promotional debut.
Also on the main card, number three-ranked heavyweight Travis Browne takes on TUF 10 finalist Brendan Schaub, Todd Duffee returns to the cage after almost a two year absence against Anthony Hamilton and there's a real barn-burner at lightweight with Tony Ferguson going toe-to-toe with Abel Trujillo. Perpetual contender Urijah Faber headlines the prelims with a bout against heavy-handed Francisco Rivera.
UFC 181 goes down from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday 7th November with the main crd kicking off at 3am Irish time.
