If Georges St-Pierre’s face—or his post-fight comments—weren’t proof enough, now there are data showing his UFC 167 bout with Johny Hendricks was the worst beating of the welterweight champion’s professional career.
The fight, which St-Pierre won by a very controversial split decision that many believed should have gone to Hendricks, was a punishing affair for the champ. According to statistics provider FightMetric, St-Pierre absorbed 85 significant strikes during the five-round contest. An analysis from MMAJunkie.com’s Mike Bohn asserts that, at least quantitatively, it’s the most damage St-Pierre has ever taken.
The report confirms with numbers what many observers had already sensed in their guts. In the cage immediately after the fight and in the post-fight news conference, St-Pierre admitted to memory loss and blurred vision, among other symptoms. He also received stitches before joining the presser.
“That guy hit like a truck, you know?” St-Pierre said at the news conference, according to an account from Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole. “My brain got bashed left and right inside my skull. I need to think and see what’s going to happen. I got very emotional. I’m going to have a talk with the guys and see what is going to happen.”
Also that evening, St-Pierre said he wanted to step away from the sport for “a while.” He said personal issues, which he declined to identify, were at the core of that desire. Disturbingly, St-Pierre said he couldn’t sleep, had “issues” and was “going crazy.”
Promoters, fans and maybe even St-Pierre himself now must stand by to learn what the future holds for one of the best mixed martial artists in history. UFC president Dana White and Hendricks himself—both of whom felt Hendricks won the fight—have called for a rematch.
Hendricks, particularly after Saturday night, may be the most fearsome knockout artist in the UFC today. The 30-year-old southpaw has earned eight of his 15 professional wins by knockout or technical knockout.
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