UFC 181 Predictions will give you the low down on who we think will win the big title fight between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler in their big rematch.
UFC 181 Predictions has another title fight on hand when Anthony Pettis returns to put his belt on the line against Gilbert Melendez.
UFC 181 Predictions: Main Card
Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
This is a rematch no one though they would see in the same calendar year, but that is what happens when a champion is hurt and Lawler goes about beating everyone else of note. The first fight was so close, but the big issue is the layoff for Hendricks had to lose a lot of weight, have surgery, and fight his toughest fight over again. Lawler has been in a role and never been in better shape. Lawler does not let this fight get away and finishes the fight in the fourth round.
Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez
Melendez is a tough fighter, but Pettis is too athletic for him. He can give the champion a tough fight, but with over a year off in his prime is going to hurt him. I do not think that Pettis will finish Melendez, but he will win a clear cut decision over the former Strikeforce champion.
Travis Browne vs. Brendan Schaub
No one can really tell why Schaub is in this fight. Given both fighters are coming off a loss, but Schaub lost to Andrei Arlovski while Browne lost to the interim champion in Fabricio Werdum. Schaub may have better ground game, but with how big Browne is, it will be hard for Schaub to bring the fight there. Look for Browne to finish Schaub with strikes late in the first round.
Tony Ferguson vs. Abel Trujillo
Ferguson and Trujillo are on the verge of breaking into the top ten if not getting a fight with a top ten fighter. Ferguson is 6-1 with his only loss coming to Michael Johnson, and Trujillo is 3-1 with his loss coming to Khabib Nurmagomedov but he has knocked out all of his wins. Ferguson can win this fight on the ground, but he needs to avoid the power of Ferguson. I think Ferguson gets rocked, but ends up winning the fight by submission late in the fight.
UFC 181 Predictions: Undercard
Urijah Faber vs. Francisco Rivera
Faber is fighting a lot of people he should not have to fight, but the issue is that he has lost to everyone in title contention essentially. Still, he is 6-2 with his only losses coming to Renan Barao in that span. Rivera was on a five fight win streak until he lost to Takeya Mizugaki in his last fight. Given that Mizugaki was choked out in less than a round by Faber, it seems to be that Faber will win this by submission within the second round.