Beating the Odds: UFC 181

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The highest-profile upset at UFC 181 on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas was also the most controversial.

Robbie Lawler -- a +190 underdog, according to BetDSI.com -- eked out a split decision over Johny Hendricks (-225) in the main event to avenge a March 15 defeat to the “Bigg Rigg” and capture the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown. Judges Marcos Rosales and Glenn Trowbridge ruled in Lawler’s favor by 48-47 and 49-46 scores, while Sal D’Amato cast a dissenting 48-47 nod for Hendricks.

Lawler’s late surge provided the difference against Hendricks, who admitted at the post-fight press conference that he did not fight the way he needed to in the championship rounds. A less-aggressive Hendricks held on to single-leg takedown attempts for too long in the fourth and fifth frames, eating punches, hammerfists and elbows in the process. Lawler put the finishing touches on his crowning victory in the waning moments, as he swarmed on Hendricks with heavy power punches.

American Top Team’s Lawler is 6-1 since returning to the UFC in February 2013.

Meanwhile, a masterfully timed second-round head kick netted Josh Samman (+126) a cool $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus following his knockout against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 19 winner Eddie Gordon (-147). Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Gordon was ahead in the bout, utilizing takedowns and top control in the first round. He attempted to follow the same strategy in the second, only to be met by a beautiful left high kick that resulted in one of the year’s best knockouts.

Samman, 26, has won three fights in a row, all of them finishes.

Finally, Ashlee Evans-Smith made her UFC debut as a late replacement for former boxing champion Holly Holm and did so as a -200 favorite against Raquel Pennington (+170). Despite the odds, many expected the more seasoned Pennington to stuff Evans-Smith’s takedowns and work her strikes and clinches. Instead, she used her underrated submission game.

Evans-Smith controlled much of the match, holding “The Ultimate Fighter” alum against the fence and landing a solid knee that opened a vertical cut on Pennington’s forehead. Near the end of the first round, “Rocky” landed a double-leg takedown of her own and caught Evans-Smith in a bulldog choke. The previously unbeaten Evans-Smith lost consciousness with one second remaining on the clock, giving Pennington her second win in three appearances.