UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler

Johny Hendricks (15-2) vs. Robbie Lawler (22-9)

With Georges St-Pierre now retired, a new welterweight champion will be crowned on Saturday night in Dallas when Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler meet at UFC 171.

Hendricks is coming off a very controversial loss to St-Pierre at UFC 167 on Nov. 16 when he lost by way of split decision, but was the aggressor the entire match and really dominated the fight. Hendricks is a dangerous fighter, and has the ability to end a match at any given moment with his explosive striking ability. His last three knockout victories (all since 2011) have lasted a combined 2:33. Hendricks was very disappointed with how his last match ended, but has a chance to get the belt back. It will not be easy though, as Lawler’s nickname “Ruthless” describes him perfectly. His last fight was also at UFC 167, when he won a split decision against Rory MacDonald for his third straight victory. Like Hendricks, Lawler can be absolutely devastating with his punches. His previous eight victories had been by knockout, including a vicious kick and punch combo against Bobby Voelker on July 27. Lawler has proven to be a terrific fighter, but he is going up against a guy on a whole different level in Hendricks. Add the fact that he is getting another chance at the belt, and HENDRICKS will just prove to be too tough for Lawler.

"Bigg Rigg" Hendricks has 15 victories in his career, with eight wins coming by knockout, six via decision, and the other coming by submission. He has won six of his past seven bouts, and of his nine finishes, five have come in the first round. Despite the lack of submission wins, Hendricks is a talented wrestler that has the ability to take his opponent to the ground. He was a two-time national champion wrestler at Oklahoma State University and has a takedown average of 4.77 compared to only 1.28 for Lawler. These takedowns play a huge role in the fights that he has won by decision. However, his specialty is to knock out his opponent. The 30-year-old Hendricks lands 3.14 significant strikes per minute, compared to just 2.91 for Lawler. His ability to knock out his opponent makes him dangerous at all times, and he should have the backing of the crowd, as he currently fights out of Dallas and hails from Ada, OK, which is just 150 miles north of Big D. If Hendricks is able to come out and not let the St-Pierre decision linger, he has a great chance to prove why he is such a heavy favorite and win the fight. However, he will have to be ready because of Lawler’s tremendous power in his fists.

Lawler has 22 victories in his career, with 18 of them coming by way of knockout. He also has three victories by decision, as well as one by submission. Of these 19 finishes, 12 occurred in the first round. Although Lawler has been a pro since 2001, he is only 31 years old. While he averages as many takedowns as Hendricks, he is much more accurate when it comes to taking his opponent down, converting on 68% of his attempts, compared to 50% from Hendricks. The key in this match will be how Lawler picks his spots against Hendricks. Both men have the ability to knock out their opponent, but the problem for Lawler is that Hendricks is better at it. But Lawler is the better defender of significant strikes (64% to 57%) and he cannot allow Hendricks to get into a rhythm early. Lawler must be the aggressor with his two-inch height advantage (5-foot-11 to 5-foot-9) and play to his strengths, rather than try and change his gameplan.