UFC 181 takes place live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas this Saturday, Dec. 6.  The highly anticipated pay-per-view event is headlined by the welterweight title rematch between UFC champion Johny Hendricks and No. 1 contender Robbie Lawler.  Also featured on the card in the co-main event, Anthony Pettis defends his lightweight gold for the first time since capturing the belt in Aug. 2013, against No. 1 contender Gilbert Melendez.

What to expect: UFC 181 edition

Also on the main card, two heavyweight fights take place as top five Travis Browne takes on Brendan Schaub, and Todd Duffee takes on Anthony Hamilton.  Opening up the main card is a lightweight bout that could easily be ‘Fight of the Night’ between two up-and-comers, Tony Ferguson and Abel Trujillo.

The featured preliminary fight is between former WEC champion and No. 3 UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber and Francisco Rivera.

As always, there are lots of things you can expect from a UFC fight card, and here are three things you can expect from UFC 181.

Lawler to be the fresher fighter against Hendricks, but still a very close rematch similar to their first brawl

It’s hard to beat the ‘Fight of the Year’ contender which was the two welterweights first fight together, but I think they’ll get close to as good.  In the early rounds especially I expect Lawler to outpoint the champion and appear to be the fresher fighter, which makes sense as the more active fighter this year.  I expect most of the fight to be contended on the feet like their first meeting, but I think a key point in the rematch will be the champion’s takedowns.  If ‘Bigg Rigg’ can take ‘Ruthless’ down earlier on now that his bicep is healed, they could win him the fight.  Nevertheless, I don’t think Lawler will let it happen too easily and I think it’ll be another war between the two highly skilled 170 pounders.

Two quickly ending heavyweight fights

Unlike most cards, two heavyweight bouts are featured on the main card of the pay-per-view card and I don’t see either of them going the distance.  Never mind that, I don’t see them going any longer than ten minutes at the most.  Browne and Schaub get at it, while Duffee makes his return and squares off against Anthony Hamilton for the first time in over two years.  For the first bout which has higher stakes as Browne is No. 3 in the division, I see ‘Hapa’ pulling off a quick finish and an easy pay day for him.  Schaub doesn’t have a great chin which will likely come into play here.  Duffee vs. Hamilton is a different story as I think it’s anyone’s fight, too close to call.  Duffee, coming off a large layoff, could be affected by ‘ring rust’ or could look better than ever, and his opponent sometimes comes out looking good, but sometimes it’s the opposite.  I’m personally picking Hamilton to win, but don’t count Duffee out — I’m slowly regretting my pick.

‘TUF 19’ winners Corey Anderson and Eddie Gordon to be successful in their first bouts as UFC fighters

I may be a little biased as I don’t know much about Anderson or Gordon’s opponents, Justin Jones and Josh Samman, but the ‘TUF 19’ winners looked very impressive at the Finale show in July, both picking up first round stoppages, winning UFC contracts.  Both fighters looked good on the show but definitely left their mark at the Finale, a great ending to a not-so-good ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ season.  Samman hasn’t fought since early 2013, which was a stoppage win over now-UFC fighter Kevin Casey.  Jones is a late replacement, as well, so I just don’t see Anderson and Gordon losing these fights.  Expect another stoppage from both rising prospects, or a dominant decision victory.

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