In possibly the best card the UFC has compiled in 2014, Robbie Lawler finally reached the pinnacle of the sport by edging a razor-thin split decision over Jonny Hendricks to claim the UFC Welterweight crown.
In the co-main event, lightweight champion Anthony Pettis overcame a tricky first stanza to submit a very tough Gilbert Melendez in Round 2. Melendez had never been finished before.
Originally bursting onto the scene in 2002 Robbie Lawler seemed destined to be the talented youngster who never lived up to his potential.
No more, after 25 minutes of closely fought fistic action Lawler was the one with his arm raised, many attributing the win to Lawler finishing stronger in Round 5 to snatch that crucial frame. Though there will be many detractors pointing at the narrow margin of victory it is clear that these two men bring out the best in each other and if the stars align we may get to see Hendricks versus Lawler III at some point in 2015.
In the second title fight of the night lightweight stars Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez locked horns for the 155-pound belt. In a fast paced fight Pettis had to weather an early storm from ‘El Nineo’ in Round 1 where he was taken down and outworked as Melendez imposed his game on the champion.
In Round 2 Pettis began to find his range use angles to avoid the clinch, and an attempted takedown led to a scramble on the ground and resulted in Pettis locking in a tight guillotine and Melendez tapping out for the first time in his illustrious career.
Pettis has now won his last six fights, finishing four of them, but for Melendez it is another tough loss and the second time he has failed to capture UFC gold. He has shown for years, though, that he belongs at the top of the heap and another title run is likely from the Skrap Pack export.
In other action Travis Browne rebounded from his loss to (now interim heavyweight champion) Fabricio Werdum by finishing Brendan Schaub with strikes in Round 1. A takedown following strikes led to Brown gaining mount and eventually the back. From here he pummelled Schaub with strikes until referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to end the contest.
Brown is probably now a win away from a title shot while Schaub needs to go back to the drawing board having now lost four of his last six fights.
Further down the card Todd Duffee needed only 33 seconds to knock out Anthony Hamilton and Tony Ferguson choked Abel Trujillo at the end of Round 2 for the submission win.
In a night of great fights one champion was dethroned and another successfully defended his belt. For Robbie Lawler there is the fulfilment of finally reaching the summit while for Hendricks there is the brutal truth that when you leave it in the hands of the judges, nothing is guaranteed.
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