This coming Saturday we have one of the best cards of the year taking placing in Las Vegas for UFC 181. Two of the divisions most interesting divisions, Welterweight and Lightweight are being treated to long awaited title showdowns on the same night. Both Johny Hendricks and Anthony Pettis have been sidelined since their title wins so they will both be finally making their first defences on the same night against a couple of very deserving opponents.
These two title fights have me so amped up that I’m only going to be handicapping these two fights in this post. To see the odds for the other fights (it’s a pretty solid card from top to bottom) I suggest checking out BetOnline.ag.
Johny Hendricks vs Robbie Lawler
Hendricks tore his right bicep in the first Championship Fight between these two brawlers, which is why he has been sidelined for 8 months. Hendricks says he tore this muscle in the first round and this affected his ability to both go for takedowns against Lawler and effectively block punches. After winning the first two rounds, Hendricks just about let the fight slip away losing rounds 3 and 4. But in the 5th round he dug deep and won what was rightfully his.
I think Hendricks talks a lot and it’s hard to say just how much the injury really did affect him in the Octagon, but if it did affect his take downs at all that could be a huge factor heading into this fight. Hendricks is the superior wrestler and if he can get the fight to the ground he will not have to take as much damage from the Lawler stand up game that rocked him several times in their first fight.
Although Lawler may have improved slightly from their first fight, after posting big wins over both Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown since his last title fight, I still think that Hendricks and Lawler are fairly even standing up. Both guys can get throw some very good combinations and have the knockout power to finish the fight. I’d give Hendricks a bit of an edge just for his left hand. When you throw in the ground game I think this fight really tilts in the direction of Johny Hendricks. He’s a deserved favourite heading into this fight.
Take Johny Hendricks to win -205 @ BetOnline.ag
Anthony Pettis vs Gilbert Melendez
Everyone knows that Pettis is an absolute beast in the Octagon. He’s finished Joe Lauzon, Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson in the first round in his last 3 fights, which is really a remarkable feat. He’s arguably the most dangerous fighter in the UFC. All that said , Pettis isn’t the best point fighter out there having lost 2 out of his 5 fights that have gone to the judges.
Melendez fights with a much more busy style where he always shows the judges that he is working and picking up points. He’s won a ton of decisions in his career and he knows how to win the judges over.
Add in the fact that Melendez has never been finished and is one of the toughest guys in the UFC and you have to give him a shot against Pettis. If Melendez can get past the first round of attacks from Pettis this could turn into more of a grind, which would definitely benefit Melendez.
Melendez has fought in 5 round Championship Fights in 9 of his last 10 trips inside the cage, dating back to when he was the long standing Lightweight Champion in Strikeforce. Melendez knows how to win 5 round fights, while Pettis doesn’t have this same experience. Pettis has only ever been to 5 rounds once, when he beat Benson Henderson for the first time at WEC 53. This lack of experience could hurt Pettis in the Championship Rounds.
If Melendez can get past the first round, and I think he can, I really think this fight is anyone’s to win.
Take Gilbert Melendez to win +225 @ 5Dimes.eu
Anthony Pettis • Gilbert Melendez • Johny Hendricks • Robbie Lawler • UFC 181 • ufc betting