When Georges St-Pierre defends his UFC welterweight title against Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks on Saturday night in Las Vegas, there is no secret what weapon GSP will have to be wary of.
Hendricks’ Furious Left Hand
Hendricks has obliterat…
When Georges St-Pierre defends his UFC welterweight title against Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks on Saturday night in Las Vegas, there is no secret what weapon GSP will have to be wary of.
Hendricks’ Furious Left Hand
Hendricks has obliterated opponents with his powerful striking ability, namely his lethal left hand. The thunderous punch ended Martin Kampmann’s night and a few of Hendricks’ other opponents. He has scored a KO in eight of his 15 wins.
As tough as GSP is, if Hendricks clocks him, he’s going to sleep like every other fighter “Big Rigg” has connected against.
The challenger also has a solid wrestling background, though he has depended on his striking prowess to rise to his current status in the UFC. Hendricks is a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion (2005 and 2006 at Oklahoma State), yet even with his accolades, he won’t be the best wrestler in the Octagon on Saturday night.
GSP’s Ground Game
Georges St-Pierre is quite possibly the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the sport.
His counter-takedowns are a thing of beauty. According to FightMetric.com, GSP is successful on 76 percent of his takedown attempts. Hendricks only hits 50 percent of his. Think GSP is padding his numbers against fighters who are weak in the wrestling department? Think again.
Against renowned wrestler and MMA legend Matt Hughes, GSP took his opponent down on 6-of-6 attempts. As good as Hendricks’ background in wrestling is, he’ll be hard-pressed to gain a grappling advantage over GSP.
The champion stuffed all of Hughes’ attempts to take him down and he has stopped 86 percent of the takedown attempts against him in the UFC. In fact, GSP hasn’t been taken down in a fight since his rematch with Josh Koscheck in 2010.
Hendricks’ best and only chance to win is to stand and connect. He has a puncher’s chance for sure and he is quite a puncher, but it seems more likely GSP’s grappling will lead him to yet another victory.
As is the case with every major UFC card, there are questions to be answered throughout the main attractions of the UFC 167 event. The answers will come in the Octagon, but hints at the outcome could very well lie in the numbers.
After studying the ten…
As is the case with every major UFC card, there are questions to be answered throughout the main attractions of the UFC 167 event. The answers will come in the Octagon, but hints at the outcome could very well lie in the numbers.
After studying the tendencies of the fighters in the top three fights on Saturday’s card from Las Vegas, here’s a statistical preview of the bouts.
Let’s start with the Robbie Lawler-Rory MacDonald welterweight clash.
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler vs. Rory “Ares” MacDonald
Analysis
Length is going to be an issue in this fight. MacDonald is only one inch taller than Lawler, but his 2.5″ edge in reach is going to be the primary reason MacDonald keeps Lawler at bay. Ares’ jab is one of his best weapons, but it only sets up the rest of his well-balanced attack and defense.
Lawler is no slouch, and he’s been on a hot streak. He has scored a KO in over 85 percent of his wins, which includes stoppage victories in his last two fights. His wrestling is decent, but the Ruthless one wants to deck his opponents.
MacDonald was stopped in his only loss to Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit, but Condit is nearly as calculated as Ares is. The Natural Born Killer doesn’t land a high percentage of his strikes, but he’s busier and longer. Condit lands 3.24 strikes per minute compared to 2.5 for Lawler. He wants to land the bomb, but that’s going to be tough against MacDonald.
It is going to take a longer, more steady striker to derail MacDonald—if anyone will again. It will be very difficult for Lawler to find MacDonald. Instead, he will be picked apart and cut up by MacDonald’s jab.
Don’t rule out a potential win by submission with MacDonald either. He’s made his opponent tap out six times in his career. He could choose to take Lawler down to stay away from his puncher’s chance.
My official prediction is a unanimous-decision win for MacDonald, but if I could make a secondary prognostication, it would be a submission win for MacDonald by rear-naked choke.
Rashad “Suga” Evans vs. Chael Sonnen
Analysis
As the numbers show, neither man is terribly accurate as a striker. Though he doesn’t land, Evans has proven in the past that he brings some power when he does connect. He knocked Chuck Liddell out with one shot in 2008 and landed a good shot on Jon “Bones” Jones in 2012.
Sonnen is a very ineffective striker. Only 25 percent of the wins in his career have come by KO, and he’s never stopped anyone with strikes in the UFC.
If the fight stays standing, Evans has a clear advantage because of his power and speed. That said, with two world-class wrestlers, it is hard to imagine this fight not going to the ground at some point. If it does become a wrestling match, who has the edge?
I’d have to give it to Sonnen. Though Evans is shorter and has a lower center of gravity, Sonnen’s takedowns are extremely powerful, and he’s been the most accurate in this sense. With both fighters holding an advantage in the two major areas of combat, who wins?
Evans’ disadvantage on the ground is not as glaring as Sonnen’s deficiency in the stand-up game. Suga won’t be outclassed by anyone as a wrestler. He can hold his own there, and he should easily out-box Sonnen.
This should end in a unanimous-decision win for Evans based on an edge in striking and overall athleticism.
UFC Welterweight Champion: Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks
Analysis
What happens when a big-time puncher like Hendricks faces one of the most efficient and balanced fighters the sport has ever known? Bigg Rigg is probably the pound-for-pound hardest puncher in MMA. He only needs one shot to turn out just about anyone’s lights.
As you can see from the numbers, hitting GSP is not an easy thing to do. The champion does a great job keeping his chin tucked and he stays very low. His opponents also have to be wary of the counter takedown.
GSP is adept at catching his opponents mid-strike and powering into takedowns. It is this technique that is the primary reason GSP succeeds at 76 percent of his takedown attempts. Once he’s gained top position, even an experienced and accomplished wrestler like Hendricks is bound to find some issues.
If there is one flaw in Hendricks’ game it’s that he has somewhat abandoned his wrestling background. He is a two-time NCAA Division I champion, but he has fallen in love with his massive left hand.
That is enough against most opponents, but not GSP. The champion will avoid the big punch and dominate with his wrestling to retain his title.
UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre (24-2) is without a doubt the greatest welterweight in history, but on Saturday he is set to face perhaps his toughest challenge to date. Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks (15-1) is a…
UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre (24-2) is without a doubt the greatest welterweight in history, but on Saturday he is set to face perhaps his toughest challenge to date. Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks (15-1) is a focused and dangerous opponent obsessed with separating St-Pierre from consciousness and the championship he’s held for the better part of the last seven years.
GSP is one of the all-time greats, but Hendricks is for real. This bout tops off a stacked an important card at UFC 167 on Saturday from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The festivities will kick off with online preliminaries as usual.
Take a look at the card, viewing information and predictions for each bout. Deeper analysis is available for a few of the key matchups on tap. The prediction follows the matchup.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View, 10 p.m. ET)
Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks – St-Pierre by decision
Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen – Evans by decision
Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald – MacDonald by decision
Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley – Woodley by KO
Ali Bagautinov vs. Timothy Elliott – Bagautinov by KO
Fox Sports 1 Preliminaries, 8 p.m. ET
Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham – Cerrone by KO
Ed Herman vs. Thales Leites – Leites by submission
Brian Ebersole vs. Rick Story – Ebersole by decision
Edwin Figueroa vs. Erik Perez – Perez by KO
Online Preliminaries (Facebook and UFC.com, 6:45 p.m. ET)
Jason High vs. Anthony Lapsley- High by decision
Will Campuzano vs. Sergio Pettis – Pettis by submission
Cody Donovan vs. Gian Villante – Villante by KO
Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley
Something tells me Koscheck is going to try to stand and strike with The Chosen One, and that is a mistake. Woodley has freakish strength and exceptional KO power. His knockout of Jay Hieron back in February was a glimpse of how brutally he can finish an opponent.
Koscheck’s wrestling background is a little more impressive than Woodley’s. Kos is a former NCAA Division I champion; Woodley’s base is definitely similar, but he isn’t as accomplished.
The eight-year UFC veteran may not win even if he takes Woodley down. He’s 35 years old and he’s endured two straight losses. Woodley is naturally stronger, younger at 31 and improving. This is a tough draw for Koscheck at this point in his career.
Look for Woodley’s explosiveness to lead to a KO/TKO win.
Rory “Ares” MacDonald vs. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler
Lawler has looked very good in his most recent fights, but MacDonald is a well-balanced MMA machine. He’s not the most charismatic and he certainly carries a Christian Bale in American Psycho type of disposition into the Octagon, but few fighters bring as much to the table in terms of skill and size.
At 5’11”, he’s able to establish his jab and he also has very good footwork to avoid power shots. Per Fight Metric, he has slipped or blocked 67 percent of the strikes thrown against him.
Lawler is a titanic puncher. He showed that by stopping Bobby Voelker and Koscheck in his last two fights; but MacDonald’s poise, length, reflexes and diversity will lead to a win via decision. MacDonald has a plethora of ways to end a fight. Don’t be shocked if he submits him as well.
Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen
Sonnen’s character is great for MMA, but at some point he has to beat a fighter the world cares about.
The 36-year-old is 4-3 in his last seven fights, and all four of the fighters he has defeated are retired or arguably ready to hang up their gloves. Brian Stann has already traded his mouth piece for a microphone. Nate Marquardt and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua would be wise to follow suit, and Michael Bisping is the only mildly prominent fighter with even less impressive wins than Sonnen.
I’d much rather see Chael P. in the WWE than wasting his awesome mic work in UFC promos for a fight he’s destined to lose. At any rate, I digress.
On Saturday, Sonnen will take on another aging grappler in Rashad Evans. This is an interesting bout because Evans is one of the few men Sonnen won’t have a wrestling edge against. If this comes down to striking, the 34-year-old Evans has the advantage because he has proven he has explosive power in his right hand. He put Chuck Liddell to sleep in 2008 and landed a noteworthy shot against Jon “Bones” Jones in 2012.
Both men won their last fights. Sonnen took care of Rua, but Shogun looks about 10 years older than his listed age of 31 in the Octagon. He’s been in a few too many wars. Sonnen got the win, but the feat doesn’t make him a serious player in the weight class.
Evans knocked off Dan Henderson, but his win over Hendo was nothing compared to what Vitor Belfort did against the 43-year-old legend at UFC Fight Night 32. Because Evans can cancel out Sonnen’s normal wrestling advantage and he’s the quicker, more explosive athlete, he is my pick to win.
Jones proved Sonnen isn’t a tough out when he can’t dominate his opponent as a grappler.
Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks
Hendricks is known for his explosive punching power, but he’s also an excellent wrestler. He’s a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion. That said, he will still be hard-pressed to handle GSP if the fight goes to the ground. The champion has the most powerful and efficient takedowns in the sport. Hendricks may be well-schooled enough to survive if he’s taken down, but he can’t win the fight this way.
If Bigg Rigg wants to make his mark and end GSP’s reign atop the welterweight division, he needs to knock him out. As good as Hendricks is, I just don’t see that happening.
Though hardly anyone hits like Hendricks, GSP has been caught with great shots. Because the challenger brings such power into the fight, GSP will be prepared and especially calculated in his approach. He’s one of the most intelligent fighters around and he’ll need every bit of his guile to win.
Look for the champion to win a decision as he spends a good amount of time in top position and scoring points with takedowns.
The way Vitor Belfort dispatched Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold, you could say he had already earned the right to request the winner of the upcoming Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Chris Weidman rematch.
After Belfort became the first man to finish …
The way VitorBelfort dispatched Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold, you could say he had already earned the right to request the winner of the upcoming Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Chris Weidman rematch.
After Belfort became the first man to finish Dan Henderson with strikes on Saturday, he can demand to be next in line for a shot at the UFC middleweight crown. Silva and Weidman will meet again on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas at UFC 168.
After Belfort‘s win over Henderson, UFC president Dana White said this:
The winner had better be ready for a fight if Belfort is indeed on tap.
He again looked dominant in his resurgence. At 36 years old, he’s as good as he’s ever been. Insert Testosterone Replacement Therapy joke here. Belfort has definitely become the poster child for TRT, but until the use of the therapy is deemed illegal, it isn’t worth tainting discussing to a degree that taints what Belfort has done in the Octagon of late.
He’s scored three straight KO wins by head kick, and for what it’s worth, Henderson himself has a TRT exemption.
Belfort had one shot at Silva before, but it ended badly for the Phenom. He was victim of perhaps the most devastating and memorable front kicks in the history of the sport. It actually became the image used for the cover of the UFC Undisputed 3 video game.
Because of this, Belfort may be hoping Weidman wins. Belfort taking on the young champion would be a more intriguing battle than seeing him battle Silva again—at least that’s the opinion of this stateside fan. If a rematch with Silva was made in Brazil, it would be a mega attraction there because both men are legends in their country.
Could this time be different? It is possible. Belfort is more confident and Silva has had his aura of invincibility cracked. If The Spider does avenge his loss to Weidman, we may just get an opportunity to find out.
If Weidman wins, we’ll get a chance to see whether Belfort‘s success can continue against a 29-year-old undefeated champion with two wins over the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. All of a sudden, the 185-pound weight class is interesting again.
Vitor Belfort (24-10) seems to be getting better with time. On Saturday night, the 36-year-old made history, becoming the first man to stop Dan Henderson (29-11) in the cage. “The Phenom” accomplished the feat with a well-placed head kick as Henderson …
Vitor Belfort (24-10) seems to be getting better with time. On Saturday night, the 36-year-old made history, becoming the first man to stop Dan Henderson (29-11) in the cage. “The Phenom” accomplished the feat with a well-placed head kick as Henderson was trying to recover from a short left uppercut.
Referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to call an end to the fight as “Hendo” crumpled to the mat.
While the uppercut dropped the granite-chinned Henderson, the kick is what gave Belfort the victory. It was the third-straight fight Belfort has ended with a head kick.
Bleacher Report’s official MMA Twitter feed chimed in on The Phenom’s win:
Some may think the stoppage was premature, especially considering Henderson’s reputation for coming back from heavy punishment. That said, it was clear that Henderson was out once the kick connected; Miragliotta was right to halt the fight when he did.
Belfort, the UFC light heavyweight champion way back in 2004, is in the middle of a remarkable career resurgence that has him headed for another title shot. He got a crack at the 205 pound strap in Sept. 2012 against champion Jon “Bones” Jones, but came up short in a fourth-round defeat.
Belfort nearly submitted Jones, but the young champion persevered and ended the bout with a keylock submission. Since that fight, Belfort has stopped Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold (both bouts were at middleweight) and now Henderson in impressive fashion.
The Phenom will be getting another title shot shortly, per Dana White.
Things aren’t looking as good for Henderson.
For all intent and purpose, this loss should spell the end of the line for him. He’s 43 years old and he’s lost three fights in a row. He can’t compete with the best fighters in the world anymore. He’s a future Hall of Famer, but it is time to walk away.
Who doesn’t like knockouts? Aside from the guy or girl getting rocked, most every MMA fan doesn’t mind seeing the fight end abruptly. Most times, MMA judges do a good job ensuring the sport isn’t tainted regularly (cough, boxing). Still, it’s cool when…
Who doesn’t like knockouts? Aside from the guy or girl getting rocked, most every MMA fan doesn’t mind seeing the fight end abruptly. Most times, MMA judges do a good job ensuring the sport isn’t tainted regularly (cough, boxing). Still, it’s cool when the fighters take the result out of the judges’ hands.
This Saturday, at UFC Fight Night 32 in Brazil, there are quite a few matches that could end with a KO.
Here’s a look at the KO artists with the best chance to paint another brutal masterpiece.
Brandon Thatch is No Joke
The man they call Rukus is one of the most exciting young strikers in the sport. The 28-year-old is on a nine-fight winning streak. He’s 10-1 overall, and seven of his wins have come by KO.
Thatch isn’t just stopping his opponents—he’s getting rid of them quickly. Six of his stoppages have come in the first round. In Instinct MMA, he knocked out Patrick Vallee in 15 seconds and finished Jory Erickson in 18.
On Saturday, Rukus faces Brazilian veteran Paulo Thiago.
Things haven’t been going great for Thiago in his last six fights. Despite winning his most recent bout against Michel Richard Cunha dos Prazeres, Thiago has dropped four of his last six bouts. He’s a submissions specialist who must get Thatch on the ground to have a shot.
The chances he accomplishes that goal aren’t very good. Thatch has a three-inch height advantage and an edge in overall explosiveness. Look for him to overwhelm Thiago for another impressive KO victory.
The Mutante Will Rock Daniel Sarafian
Cezar “The Mutante” Ferreira has earned his cool nickname because of his 6’1″ height, 73″ reach and well-rounded game. Ferreira‘s gifts will be on display on Saturday night against Daniel Sarafian.
Both men reached the finale as members of VitorBelfort‘s team on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.An injury to Sarafian forced him out of the finale, and Ferreira went on to win. This time, no injury will save Sarafian.
Ferreira has one of the most balanced attacks in the division, and Sarafian is rather one dimensional. All of his seven wins have come by submission. He doesn’t have Ferreira outclassed as a grappler, as both Brazilians have extensive mat training.
Ferreira will stuff Sarafian‘s attempts to take him down and catch him with counter power strikes to set up a stoppage win.
Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort Will Become the First Man to KO Dan Henderson
No man has ever stopped Henderson in a fight. Hendo has a granite chin and brings enough power to cause his opponents to approach any exchange with him with caution.
He has even faced and defeated Belfort in a previous meeting. Hendo handed The Phenom a loss by decision in a 2006 bout that took place in Pride.
That said, Henderson is 43 years old now. At some point, he will run into an opponent who is able to expose the deficiencies created by his advancing age.
That point of time has come. Belfort is no rookie; he’s 36 years old and made his professional debut at 19. Some may say his career should be winding down as well; but The Phenom has really never looked better than he has of late.
He nearly forced Jon “Bones” Jones to tap out in Sept. 2012 before being submitted himself. He knocked out both Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold with impressive head kicks in his last two fights.
Look for Belfort to catch Hendo with another explosive strike that rocks the legend. He’ll make history and send Henderson to a defeat that should end his career. It’s been a great ride, but Henderson’s time as a real contender is done.
When Georges St-Pierre defends his UFC welterweight title against Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks on Saturday night in Las Vegas, there is no secret what weapon GSP will have to be wary of.