UFC 181: Two Bouts in One Night

UFC 181: Two Bouts in One Night The end of 2014 will close come with a bang: UFC 181 Expect the remainder of Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC to go out with a bang in December. The end of 2014 will come to a near with an outstanding UFC Pay Per View that will host two championship fights which will cause a stir in the newly proposed UFC Reebok rankings and catch the eyes of fans around the world.

Ultimate Fighting Championship 181 was expected to be headlined by a Middleweight Championship bout between the current champion Chris Weidman and top contender Vitor Belfort.

Though on 22 September 2014 to hard core fans disappointment a statement was released concerning the fact that Chris Weidman had a broken hand, thus the expected bout was rescheduled to be fought at UFC 184.

In it’s place fans will now be served what may turn out to be a better Main and Co Main event headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship rematch taking place between reigning champion Johny Hendricks and front-runner rival and challenger Robbie Lawler. The first fight fought between the two (at UFC 171) ended in a unanimous decision where Lawler just fell short on the cards in a highly contested five round battle.

The co main event of UFC 181 will feature a long anticipated match up between former Strikeforce star Gilbert Melendez in a Championship bout against current UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis. Both Pettis and Melendez both served as the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter television series. Anthony Pettis is coming off a long layoff and Gilbert Melendez will finally get his shot at UFC gold.

Pettis, like many current UFC champions, has gained a label of sorts for being an injury disposed fighter despite holding onto the lightweight championship in his absence from the Octagon. It must be noted though, that it was not only his injuries that kept him out of the ring, but the fact that he coached opposite competitor and challenger Melendez as well.

Heavyweights Travis Browne and Brendan Schaub will also bring excitement to the cage on the main card. Browne (16-2-1, 7-2-1 UFC) and Schaub (10-4, 6-4 UFC) are both looking to get back into title contention with a few more wins.

Quotes by Oddsmaker Joey Oddessa

» UFC 180: Bonuses & Awards
“Hendricks was as high as a 5 to 1 favorite in his first encounter at UFC 171 with Robbie Lawler. This was the highest Lawler has been an underdog in the UFC against anyone dating back dating over 7 years. The current price of on average of -230 on the global market would appear to be a bargain for the Hendricks backers.”

“Pettis has been a fan favorite since his days in the WEC. The defending champion also enters into his fight around a -250 favorite against Melendez. Both he and Melendez have a wide fan base and while the line has been relatively steady, a 20 to 30 cent line move towards Melendez won’t be out of the question as the card progresses especially if Anthony Pettis’ younger brother gets upset as a more than 3 to 1 favorite on the early under card. Winning is as contagious as losing and in a sport that is as much mental as physical there’s no way of anticipating how he would handle it going into the co main event.””

Action: Visit Live Odds Page | Open Account | View UFC Calendar