(The pre-fight UFC 167 press conference. The belt didn’t change places. / Photo via Getty)
UFC 167 left a terrible taste in our mouths.
The card was exciting, and the main event, after the last round but before the decision was announced, seemed like it was going to be a passing of the torch. Instead, we got a terrible decision that overshadowed the celebratory atmosphere around the UFC’s 20th anniversary show.
Now, we’re left with more questions than answers. Here’s what we know so far:
Josh Koscheck suffered a brutal KO loss to Tyron Woodley. One might think that the UFC would let Koscheck go since he’s a 35-year-old on a three-fight losing streak and they’ve cut other fighters for less. Yet Koscheck is going to stay in the UFC, at least if he doesn’t retire.
Dana White said that Koscheck will not be cut, and also stated that he had a soft spot for TUF season 1 veterans (aww). However, White also mentioned that he received a text message from Koscheck which “sounded like retirement” but that sometimes fighters say things after fights, presumably things they don’t mean.
White, unhappy (an understatement) about the decision in the main event, also ranted about the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“It used to be the best commission in the world…I’m fucking scared to come back here and do fights,” Yet, when pressed for specifics about how the UFC would proceed, White was mum. “What more can I do?” he said. “I just don’t know what else needs to be done. It’s unfortunate.”
Of course, the biggest issue we’re all waiting on is a rematch between Georges St.Pierre and Johny Hendricks. Will it happen?
Maybe.
At the post-fight press conference, an infuriated White claimed that he wouldn’t let GSP take a furlough from the sport.
“I want what’s fair and that wasn’t fair,” White said about the decision. “You owe it to the fans, you owe it to that belt, you owe it to this company, and you owe it to Johny Hendricks to give him that opportunity to fight again, unless you’re gonna retire…There’s no ‘Hey listen I’m gonna go on a cruise and be gone for two years,’”
During the post-presser media scrum, Dana White, though much calmer, no-sold St.Pierre’s problems.
“His problems aren’t as bad as he thinks they are. They’re personal problems…it might seem like the end of the world, but it’s not.” “He’s a strong kid. He’ll get through this…he wants to fight…I’m very confident he’s going to work it out.”
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden seems to think that the rematch is more or less decided upon, which is likely but nothing is official yet, so don’t bank on it.