Lawler came out fast, firing big punches and knees right from the word "go". Within the first minute, he had expelled a ton of energy rushing in looking for a finish.
Hendricks slowed the action down with a clinch and Robbie answered with a Thai Plum and more knees. When "Big Rigg" went low for a takedown, "Ruthless" used the cage to stay on his feet while they worked through a stalemate up against the fence.
It took about three minutes to get to it, but when they finally reset Hendricks was more aggressive with his offense while Lawler had slowed down considerably.
Hendricks went all late-takedown-FTW with 30 seconds remaining and ended the round on top.
For more on "Hendricks vs. Lawler" click here, and for complete UFC 181 results and coverage click here.
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