The next challenger to Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight throne awaits in the form of the hard-hitting wrestling mastermind Johny Hendricks.
Hendricks solidified his position as the 170-pound division’s No. 1 contender with a unanimous-decision victory over Carlos Condit at UFC 158, and GSP has plenty to worry about with the formerly bearded assassin.
“Big Rigg” possesses scary power in his left hand, and he wings it with wild abandon. His chin is sturdy, so, like Dan Henderson before him, Hendricks will gladly eat a shot or two to deliver the knockout blow.
In addition, Hendricks stands as one of the sport’s finest wrestlers, and his ability to dictate the pace and style of his fight against Condit earned him the victory and secured his title shot.
With this skill set, Hendricks seems like a scary opponent for GSP, and he certainly is.
But GSP can and will win this fight just as he has won his past six outings—via superior wrestling and top control coupled with a quick jab and a lot of movement on the feet.
While Hendricks is a world-class athlete, no welterweight in the world can match GSP‘s technical excellence.
Despite no formal wrestling pedigree, GSP emerged as arguably the sport’s finest wrestler, and he has done so through a relentless dedication to the craft.
When GSP indulges in an activity, he is not looking to learn—he is looking to master, and that is exactly what he has done time and time again throughout his mixed martial arts career.
I see this fight the same way I have seen GSP‘s prior efforts.
Can (insert title challenger’s name here) win? Of course. The man is extremely dangerous, and the longer GSP stands with him, the more he exposes himself to (name’s) strengths.
That said, I do not think Hendricks, in particular, can keep up with GSP in an extended contest, and I have not seen GSP-level wrestling from Big Rigg thus far in his UFC career.
This adds up for a carbon-copy, vintage GSP performance.
Barring the “lucky punch,” Hendricks possesses no advantages over GSP in this fight and all signs point to another 25 minutes of dominance for the champion.
With 150 straight minutes of Octagon time without a finish, GSP‘s UFC career is turning into a James Cameron film and Hendricks will play a key role in its conclusion.
Just like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, Hendricks will play the part of the underdog who tastes the sweet life before suffocating under a smothering blanket of doom.
GSP will be that blanket.
He will always be that blanket.
For fans of MMA, heavy metal or general absurdity, Follow @HunterAHomistek
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