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5. Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
UFC 171 “Hendricks vs. Lawler”
March 15, 2014 | Dallas
For the first time in five years, 10 months and 24 days, someone other than Georges St. Pierre occupied the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 170-pound throne. Behind a diverse standup attack and an unbreakable resolve, Hendricks captured the vacant welterweight crown with a unanimous decision over Robbie Lawler in the UFC 171 headliner at the American Airlines Center. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 48-47 for Hendricks. The four-time NCAA All-American wrestler complimented accurate punching combinations with stinging leg kicks and occasional knees over the first 10 minutes. Lawler turned the corner in the third round, where he had “Bigg Rigg” badly staggered with a crisp left hook to the beard. Hendricks survived, only to endure further punishment -- Lawler carved out a nasty gash near the Oklahoman’s right eye -- from his opponent’s educated hands in Round 4. The decision appeared to boil down to the fifth round, where Hendricks found another gear. He wore down a fatiguing Lawler in the clinch and battered the “Ruthless” one with left hands and leg kicks. A late takedown sealed it, as Hendricks kept the Pat Miletich disciple corralled on the canvas in the closing moments of a remarkable encounter.

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