UFC 167: St Pierre vs Hendricks

[wandshogun09]

Really enjoyed 167.

 

GSP vs Hendricks was a terrific fight. Man, 2013 has been rough as fuck for the champs hasn't it. Between Anderson getting knocked out, and Jones and GSP barely squeaking by their hardest challenges to date, it's been a bumpy ride.

 

I had Hendricks winning 48-47. And I had it exactly the same as Jim, with Hendricks taking rounds 1, 2 and 4. I disagreed with the judges but there's been worse decisions. Maybe GSP nicked round 1 but I'd have to rewatch it. I don't think so though. I thought Hendricks had more of that round as well.

 

Great fight though. And regardless of the scoring, Hendricks made a believer out of me with that performance. He won the wrestling for most of the fight. He was stronger in the clinch, he took GSP down, stuffed most of his shots. GSP was definitely the better striker but Hendricks had the power to make that even up as well. I really thought GSP was done for when he got the rubber legs in round 2.

 

I hope GSP sticks around for the rematch but if he retires for good then you can't blame him. He's made his money, he's had his injuries and he came into this fight coming off two fights where he dominated but had moments that might have served as a message that he's slowing down. The hints before the fight that he might retire could indicate that he was probably thinking this throughout camp as well. And now he's barely held onto the title in by far the toughest fight of his career. I wouldn't be surprised if he just says 'enough is enough'. He doesn't need to fight on and can he get up for another one of these type of fights at this stage?

 

Personally, I'd love to see the rematch. But we'll see what happens I guess. I think he might have one more fight. The fact that he was already seeming to be in two minds whether to even announce it, and then when he did said he needs to go away "for a bit", makes me think he's not 100% sure on retirement. So maybe we'll get the rematch.

 

And really, if GSP does retire, who does Hendricks fight for the interim belt? Lawler? Winner of Condit-Brown? Rory would have been the ideal fight to make but obviously that's out now.

 

Rashad vs Chael surprised me. Not the result but I never expected a first round finish. Thought we were definitely in for a grueling 15 minute struggle. Rashad looked in fantastic shape, better than he has in a while. And his wrestling looked on point. Chael just got battered. Hopefully Chael drops and stays at 185 now. I'm not sure which weight they're doing the Wanderlei fight at, I think Chael wins that fight at either weight, but I just like him better at 185. Especially when he comes up against other wrestlers.

 

Rashad is back on track with this and the Hendo win. Wouldn't be too surprised if we get Rashad vs Cormier. That would be a really tough style match for Rashad but could be good. I don't know who else there is for Rashad right now. Everyone else is either tied up, coming off losses or he's already fought them fairly recently. Maybe Rashad vs Shogun actually, if Shogun wins in a few weeks.

 

Rory vs Lawler was sweet viewing. I can't stand Rory and Lawler has been someone I've been a fan of since I got into MMA. I love this career resurgence he's having. It's been one of the best things in MMA this year for me. I really thought Rory would win this. I think most people did. But Lawler fought a great fight. I agreed with the decision as well. Had Lawler taking the first and third.

 

Was Rory overrated? I mean, he's very good obviously, but people were going on like he was the second coming of Jesus Christ or something. And really, all his big wins were over blown up lightweights, older guys on the downslide and a Jake Ellenberger who did nothing. He can only beat who's in front of him but I think we might all have got a tad carried away with Rory being some world beater/next GSP etc. And of course, add to that that Lawler is a really good fighter on top form so it might be a case of Rory being a bit overrated and Lawler being underrated.

 

Lawler, like Condit, just wasn't afraid of Sinister Rory one bit. And Rory seems like one of those fighters who likes to come forward and doesn't look the same if he's forced on the backfoot. Lawler's power spooked him I think.

 

I'd fucking kill to see Robbie Lawler vs Carlos Condit.

 

Woodley vs Koscheck was a hell of a one rounder. Have to give Koscheck his credit for going out on his shield. He already got hurt early but he was fearless right to the end. To me, it just felt going in that this was going to be a bit of a passing of the torch fight. Koscheck's no spring chicken anymore and Woodley in some ways is like the new, younger version of him. When it became a slugfest it just favoured Woodley. Kos has power but I Woodley's first round KO power is freakish. Might be it for Kos I'm thinking.

 

Bagautinov vs Elliott was alright. Excellent in places but Elliott was frustrating to watch. Despite all his spazzing about, he wasn't actually doing that much. It's all well and good 'pushing the pace' but at some point in a fight you have to actually, you know, fight. Do damage, land something. He had his moments but there just wasn't enough actual output on his end to me. I agreed with Rogan on that 100%. Bagautinov landed the better stuff most of the fight IMO so I was glad when his hand got raised. Elliott looked outraged at the decision but I thought it was correct.

 

Oh and was anyone else wanting to smash shit whenever Mike Goldberg said Ali Bagautinov's name? Buffer announced it as Bagautinov. Rogan was saying it as Bagautinov. Goldberg was saying "BAGA-OO-TINOV". Every time. Fuck. Off!

 

Prelims were alright. Nothing killer. Really liked Cerrone vs Dunham. That was pick of the bunch. Best Cerrone has looked in a while. Perez vs Figueroa was good as well, although not the crazy war I expected. Leites dominates again. If he can improve on his cardio he'll give any of the middle of the pack 185ers fits IMO. Not the top guys though.

 

Disappointed they couldn't squeeze the Sergio Pettis fight in somewhere. Seen the result now as well. Read it was razor close.

 

Quality show. Roll on 168!

[Astro Hollywood]

So GSP is insane now? Apparently he was on Rogan's podcast saying he thinks he's being abducted by aliens and said this:

 

I can

[David]

I hope GSP sticks around for the rematch but if he retires for good then you can't blame him.

Before the ridiculous result was read out I figured St-Pierre was retiring. I've said all along that he's not the fighter he was before his knee injury, and there's not a chance that he wants to fight Hendricks again. Not a chance. He doesn't need that kind of trauma in his life, and I don't think he has the stomach for it at this stage.

[jimufctna24]

Its worth nothing, that Hendricks won the 4th partially due to GSP slipping, and after the 2nd round, GSP generally got the better of the fight in general. Still, it was a pretty clear cut in my view, I am not sure how they scored GSP round 1, most of the meaningful stuff came from Hendricks, and GSP failed to control him.

 

Chael either got very old over night, or Rashad is back on form. I say the latter.

 

Rory's striking has always been suspect, but Lawler has clearly improved. I wrote him off a few years back as a journeyman who would falter against anyone in the top 5-10, good for him for proving me and others wrong.

[wandshogun09]

So GSP is insane now? Apparently he was on Rogan's podcast saying he thinks he's being abducted by aliens and said this:

 

I can

[ColinBollocks]

The first thing that popped into my head when GSP said he wasn't getting any sleep was that he was waiting on the Aliens coming. Going by what Dana said in the scrum he's freaking out over not a lot; not sure if that's Dana being clever and trying to put out the fire of GSP saying he's losing his mind.

 

I thought the main event was closer than some people, but Hendricks edged it. No matter, it was an engrossing encounter and if Dana White can convince GSP there are no Aliens under his bed the UFC have a monster re-match on their hands. Genuinely thought Hendricks would drown when the championship rounds came into effect, but after the third he seemed to be in better condition than GSP. You just hope that GSP can keep his head in the game.

 

Evans looked like a champion, from his physique to his performance. Sonnen, on the other hand, looked a bit soft on both accounts.

 

Looks like the Rory hype will cool for a bit, which is probably best for him. He seemed to be one of those fighters Rogan has a hard on for, but has yet to live up to all the "next GSP" bollocks.

[jimufctna24]

The annoying thing is that the judges got it right with Bagautinov getting the nod.

 

The quantity of strikes was against Bagautinov, at one point in the 2nd it was something like 80-45 against him, but everything meaningful came from Bagautinov, Elliot's offense had no real power to it for the most part.

 

After two rounds GSP vs Hendricks in terms of quantity was fairly close, but GSP did not land many strikes with meaning in the first two rounds. Wand mentions that aside from the half takedown GSP did not do much in the first, and he is bang on, another GSP takedown was treated to some hard elbows from Hendricks that for me clearly won him the round.

 

If Elliot got the nod earlier, and GSP got the verdict there would be consistency with the judges that they liked quantity over quality, but they gave rounds to Bagautinov based on quality, yet failed to do so with Hendricks in round 1. There is no consistency to the scoring system.

[wandshogun09]

Looks like the Rory hype will cool for a bit, which is probably best for him. He seemed to be one of those fighters Rogan has a hard on for, but has yet to live up to all the "next GSP" bollocks.

 

Yeah, I thought Rogan was alright last night but he was loving Rory wasn't he? Early on in the fight he sounded very pro Rory at times.

 

Again though, Mike Goldberg repeatedly saying "BAGA-OO-TINOV" was the worst bit of commentary last night.

 

I was a little bit disappointed they never made more of a fuss of the 20 years thing. I know Dana always says it's just about the fights and to treat these milestone shows as just another show. But it's not just another show is it? It's the 20th anniversary. And all they did was put '20 Years' under a few of the usual graphics and show Royce and Dan Severn for a sum total of about 6 seconds combined.

 

I wasn't expecting a big ceremony or anything but I thought they could've done something to mark the occasion out as something a bit special. Even when they went back to Brazil in 2011 they did a short video before the usual PPV opening. Think they did the same for Japan and the big UFC 129 stadium show too. But 20 years and they do nothing?

 

Sounds silly to complain but I love a bit of fuss being made for shit like that. Just imagine the ridiculous bells and whistles if Pride reached 20 years. I wasn't expecting anything big but maybe they could have played little snippets of the new 20 Years documentary at points throughout the show, and got a brief word with Royce, Severn, Coleman and Liddell or whoever between fights. Surprised there was no Hall Of Fame induction as well. I know he wasn't directly involved in the UFC but I think it'd been fitting and a nice touch if they inducted Helio Gracie.

[deathrey]

I had Hendrick's taking the 1st, 2nd and 4th rounds so for me he was the winner. GSP really does seem messed up, my reaction during the interview was that psychologically, even though he got the win, he knows he was beaten in that fight and its causing him to lose it a little. Having read everything I have today, I think he may have been hit in the head a few too many times and its effecting his mental health...

[cleslie92]

I had Hendrick's taking the 1st, 2nd and 4th rounds so for me he was the winner. GSP really does seem messed up, my reaction during the interview was that psychologically, even though he got the win, he knows he was beaten in that fight and its causing him to lose it a little. Having read everything I have today, I think he may have been hit in the head a few too many times and its effecting his mental health...

 

That's exactly my worry. Dana White should be a bit more careful with how he is handling this publicly - if it comes out that GSP, god forbid, has some serious brain damage, then he looks like the worst uncaring promoter ever.

[wandshogun09]

I think if it came out that GSP had some type of brain damage, or if Dana suspected that to be the case, he'd definitely support GSP retiring. I think it's a little bit premature to say he's got brain damage based off these few odd comments. The dinosaur stuff I mentioned was from a couple of years ago, he's been a bit weird for a long time so this doesn't really alarm me. Can't ever do any harm to get checked out though. That goes for any fighter. And don't they have to go through pre-fight brain scans anyway. I remember Thiago Alves was pulled from a fight with Jon Fitch from an irregularity which showed up on the pre-fight medicals. Brian Foster as well.

 

Dana can be a twat but I doubt he'd knowingly put a guy in jeopardy if he thought he was damaged goods. He's been vocal for years about thinking certain guys should retire. He's called for both Wanderlei Silva and BJ Penn to hang up the gloves before. Sure they're not the cash cows GSP is but they're still popular fighters and big names in the sport. No promoter would want to lose them, but when they lost certain fights Dana called for them to retire. Prematurely a bit in Wanderlei's case IMO because he lost early to Leben after a long layoff. And BJ was in the wrong weight class. He's only getting another fight because he's agreed to drop down two divisions.

 

And then there's Chuck Liddell. He was still a star and a draw right to the end. Dana could easily have made more money off him if he let him fight on. And Liddell wanted to. Dana had to talk him into retiring. He could have still done Chuck vs Tito 3 which was meant to happen after TUF, and I'm sure even at that stage it'd have done a decent number. Could have done Chuck vs Wanderlei 2, Chuck vs Forrest, Chuck vs Hendo, even as late as 2010. Big name fights and it's hard to imagine they wouldn't have been a success. But Dana insisted on retirement because Chuck was showing signs of damage with the slurring and repeated KO losses.

 

Dana is no angel but he's not the type of heartless promoter Don King was IMO. Not even close. King would send Ali in the ring today if he thought he'd make 50p off it. Dana doesn't want a death or serious injury on his watch and I genuinely believe if he thought GSP was damaged goods or a time bomb he'd be calling for GSP to stop as loudly as anyone.

[lambyUK]

Where to begin?

 

Firstly, Dana already came out saying its a personal problem and not health related in relation to GSP. Brain damage definitely falls into the later. I wouldn't be surprised if it were something like he's found out he's got an illegitimate love child or something like that.

 

Secondly, the result. Absolute fucking shambles. This was not a close fight. GSP got beat up badly and Hendricks looked better in every department. Hendricks clearly won 3 rounds and even in the other 2 was dishing out damage. Even that 4th round could have been Hendricks' round with the late takedown. This really was a joke of a decision.

 

Then there was the Sonnen/Evans fight. It unfortunately went how in my head i knew it was going to go. I didn't want to admit it, but Chael wasn't prepared at all for this fight and despite being similar height, Rashad is far too powerful for Sonnen. The result is the most ideal result anyway. Keeps Evans relevant at 205, and at least gets Sonnen back down to his true weight class of 185.

[deathrey]

Even though I wrote it in a way which seemed like it, I wasn't necessarily meaning that GSP had brain damage, I meant more that he seemed mentally unbalanced. Which can present as a personal issue, particularly if someone is depressed or something along those lines. Everything about the way GSP was acting after the final round was screaming mentally disturbed to me. I do thing he was badly shaken in the fight and had taken a few hard shots to the head (he admitted to blanking out during the match), but the speech at the end showed that he is mentally all over the place, and that pattern continued at the after show party and the post show press conferences from the reports I've read.

[jimufctna24]

Even that 4th round could have been Hendricks' round with the late takedown. This really was a joke of a decision.

You mean the 3rd or 5th there right?

 

Hendricks won the 4th quite clearly, both on the scorecards and in the mind of the fans.

[lambyUK]

Even that 4th round could have been Hendricks' round with the late takedown. This really was a joke of a decision.

You mean the 3rd or 5th there right?

 

Hendricks won the 4th quite clearly, both on the scorecards and in the mind of the fans.

Yeah, sorry Jim. 1,2 and 4 are clearly Hendricks and that round I was referring to was 3. If GSP won 2, he only scraped by tw .