UFC 167 left the welterweight division in a violent tailspin from which it might not recover.
Heading into the PPV, the UFC trotted out the tired “If you were to build a fighter that could beat [insert champion], it’d be [insert challenger]” marketing formula. True, challenger Johny Hendricks‘ great wrestling and powerful hands were a great stylistic matchup against champion Georges St.Pierre‘s takedowns and iffy chin. But the MMA world said the same things about Josh Koscheck. His wrestling was too good for GSP to take him down, and since GSP couldn’t take him down, Koscheck would make use of his advantage in striking power. This, of course, didn’t happen. GSP jabbed Koscheck’s orbital bone into splinters for 25 minutes.
So why should we have expected anything else from GSP-Hendricks? GSP was the dominant champ. Hendricks was the Guy to Beat GSP™ of the month; a challenger who was, in reality, no challenge at all.
Do you think it was a coincidence that Rory MacDonald and GSP were fighting on the same card? The UFC was likely hoping for both MacDonald and St.Pierre to be victorious. Dana White could fulfill his sick fantasy of watching teammates fight, and the UFC would have a highly bankable future title fight: Georges St.Pierre vs. Rory MacDonald, the fight that sells itself. The biggest star (according to Dana) in the UFC’s history would fight his protegee over the holy grail of MMA: A UFC title. Dana White insisted before UFC 167 that the fight was going to happen.
UFC 167 left the welterweight division in a violent tailspin from which it might not recover.
Heading into the PPV, the UFC trotted out the tired “If you were to build a fighter that could beat [insert champion], it’d be [insert challenger]” marketing formula. True, challenger Johny Hendricks‘ great wrestling and powerful hands were a great stylistic matchup against champion Georges St.Pierre‘s takedowns and iffy chin. But the MMA world said the same things about Josh Koscheck. His wrestling was too good for GSP to take him down, and since GSP couldn’t take him down, Koscheck would make use of his advantage in striking power. This, of course, didn’t happen. GSP jabbed Koscheck’s orbital bone into splinters for 25 minutes.
So why should we have expected anything else from GSP-Hendricks? GSP was the dominant champ. Hendricks was the Guy to Beat GSP™ of the month; a challenger who was, in reality, no challenge at all.
Do you think it was a coincidence that Rory MacDonald and GSP were fighting on the same card? The UFC was likely hoping for both MacDonald and St.Pierre to be victorious. Dana White could fulfill his sick fantasy of watching teammates fight, and the UFC would have a highly bankable future title fight: Georges St.Pierre vs. Rory MacDonald, the fight that sells itself. The biggest star (according to Dana) in the UFC’s history would fight his protegee over the holy grail of MMA: A UFC title. Dana White insisted before UFC 167 that the fight was going to happen.
Robbie Lawler, a resurgent holdover from the earlier days of the sport, consistently beat Rory MacDonald to the punch and even floored the Canadian a few times en route to a decision victory. The next big thing’s hype train was officially derailed. Lawler’s nickname might as well have been “Kratos” since he battered “Ares.”
The main event didn’t go the UFC’s way either.
Georges St.Pierre did win, but in utterly undecisive fashion. GSP won via split decision, but even Dana White himself refused to believe that he won the fight. Hendricks neutralized GSP for most of the fight. Everything the various sales pitches said about Hendricks having the skills to match and even exceed GSP were true.
Yet we’re not getting the (highly profitable) rematch that follows many controversial title fight decisions. GSP announced a vague, pseudo-retirement after he fought, throwing away the welterweight division’s paddles as well as sending it up the creek.
St.Pierre was supposed to beat his “biggest threat ever” and look like an unstoppable superman who could only be bested by Rory MacDonald, a young gun and the one man who knew him best—a storyline so formulaic that it could’ve spewed from the power book of the laziest Hollywood hack.
If Dana White can’t force GSP into an immediate rematch (that happens within the foreseeable future), then the welterweight division will be rudderless. Should they book Hendricks vs. Lawler? Maybe Woodley vs. Lawler? What about Lawler vs. the winner of Brown vs. Condit? And does the UFC strip GSP of the belt? Or do they just create an interim title so they can market a “champion vs. champion” fight when he comes back?
But even if the UFC makes any of these matches, the division is now starless in the wake of GSP’s departure. The company’s biggest draw is gone, fleeing the sport after “winning” in name only. And judging from his skiddish, emotionally exhausted demeanor at the post-fight presser, he might not be coming back for a long time.
Considering the UFC’s suspect ability to create new stars, the future of the welterweight division as one of the UFC’s main attractions seems doubtful. The casual fans are going to leave with GSP, and the current welterweight cast of characters might not be able to get them back.
I know what a lot of you were thinking (and by “a lot” I mean nobody): Where is The12ozCurls with his obligatory fluffy, ball-washing post on Georges St. Pierre pertaining to his upcoming fight? Well, I hate to disappoint my dozens of CagePotato fans and Twitter followers (seriously, *bottom lip quivers* I got like 50) so I will give you what you want. What most of you want is more ammo to fire in my direction if/when GSP loses. And judging from the current CP Fight Picking Contest stats, a majority of you think Johny Hendricks is going to put my beloved Canadian to sleep on Saturday night. You are all entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it might be.
Let me explain: GSP has dominated the welterweight division for the better part of a decade. He has systematically vanquished each foe with a combination of athleticism, technique, cardio and sound game-planning. There is no debating that. Yet most of the flat-billed hat-wearing mouth-breathing meatheads that scream “KNEEEEES!” whenever there is a clinch, constantly talk shit on GSP because he is a boring fighter that doesn’t finish (and because he is handsome . . . . really really handsome).
That is the knock on one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time—that he’s ambien personified—but upon further review, GSP has done far more long-term damage to his last 8 opponents than ending a fight via TKO or submission. He effectively sent their careers into the toilet, which is far worse than just knocking them out cold. All of the following fighters were the #1 contender for the UFC WW Championship but each one was sent packing like my ex-wife (What? Too soon?). I’ll start with all the fights after GSP kneed Matt Serra’s kidneys into oblivion and became the undisputed champ back at UFC 83.
Take a look at the first guy who’s career GSP derailed after the jump.
(Five-pound dumbbells are the secret to dominance. / Image courtesy of GSP RUSHFIT)
I know what a lot of you were thinking (and by “a lot” I mean nobody): Where is The12ozCurls with his obligatory fluffy, ball-washing post on Georges St. Pierre pertaining to his upcoming fight? Well, I hate to disappoint my dozens of CagePotato fans and Twitter followers (seriously, *bottom lip quivers* I got like 50) so I will give you what you want. What most of you want is more ammo to fire in my direction if/when GSP loses. And judging from the current CP Fight Picking Contest stats, a majority of you think Johny Hendricks is going to put my beloved Canadian to sleep on Saturday night. You are all entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it might be.
Let me explain: GSP has dominated the welterweight division for the better part of a decade. He has systematically vanquished each foe with a combination of athleticism, technique, cardio and sound game-planning. There is no debating that. Yet most of the flat-billed hat-wearing mouth-breathing meatheads that scream “KNEEEEES!” whenever there is a clinch, constantly talk shit on GSP because he is a boring fighter that doesn’t finish (and because he is handsome . . . . really really handsome).
That is the knock on one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time—that he’s ambien personified—but upon further review, GSP has done far more long-term damage to his last 8 opponents than ending a fight via TKO or submission. He effectively sent their careers into the toilet, which is far worse than just knocking them out cold. All of the following fighters were the #1 contender for the UFC WW Championship but each one was sent packing like my ex-wife (What? Too soon?). I’ll start with all the fights after GSP kneed Matt Serra’s kidneys into oblivion and became the undisputed champ back at UFC 83.
Jon Fitch
Lost via UD at UFC 87
Record since = 7-3-1
(Image courtesty of MMAWeekly)
GSP’s victory over Fitch is the third most lopsided 5-round decision in UFC history. However, Fitch is one of the few that can boast a winning record since facing GSP, but those numbers are inflated. Much like the SEC football teams’ out-of-conference schedule, Fitch padded his stats. He has a positive record by essentially fighting B- to C+ fighters like Akihiro Gono, Paulo Thiago and Ben Saunders. That is not to say defeating a very game Erick Silva is not impressive, but then again, that was Fitch’s last fight in the UFC before getting choked unconscious in World Series of Fighting and then moving across the country for a training job at a start-up gym.
B.J. Penn Lost via TKO (corner stoppage) at UFC 94
Record since = 3-4-1
During the Countdown special prior to his fight with GSP, Penn looked straight into the camera and said, “To the death Georges. To the death.” Well, thankfully for The Prodigy, his corner stopped the fight at the end of the 4th round or else he might very well be six feet under because he got his ass handed to him. Afterwards, Penn dropped back to lightweight and got a couple wins before running into Frankie Edgar. He then moved back to welterweight where he most recently got annihilated by Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald. For his next trick (and probably his last), B.J. will try and make the featherweight limit as a coach on the next exciting installment of The Ultimate Fighter *yawn*.
Thiago Alves Lost via UD at UFC 100
Record since = 2-3
(Image courtesy of SHERDOG)
Alves got taken down a total of 10 times during his contest with GSP. The feared striker didn’t come close to winning a round. He has beaten John Howard and Papy Abedi since November 2008. That is 2 wins in the last five fucking years. Sure, the injury bug has bitten him on more than a few occasions, but that is two wins in FIVE YEARS—a Tito Ortiz or Ken Shamrock level statistic! CagePotato was just an infant (with UFC credentials) five years ago and my liver did NOT look like a baked potato.
Yep, another clean sweep on the scorecards for GSP in this one but there were two times during the fight where Hardy was in severe danger of getting his arm snapped. To Hardy’s credit, he preserved through 25 minutes…but then he lost three consecutive fights afterwards. At least he had the honor of tapping to Chris Lytle during his Lights Out’s retirement fight. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome has sidelined Hardy for over a year and his career as a fighter is hazy at best.
Josh Koscheck
Lost via UD at 124
Record since = 2-2 (Image courtesy of MMAPro)
GSP jabbed Fraggle Rock’s face into a pulp en route to another 50-45 victory. Koscheck has always been a perennial contender but unless he catches lightning in a bottle, his best days are behind him. In his last fight Robbie Lawler sent him to dream land with a barrage of punches. I wonder what it is like for a notorious shit-talking virtuoso like Kos to walk around backstage at UFC 167 and have to see GSP, Johny Hendricks, AND Lawler—the last three men to beat him. Humbling, I suppose but I bet he still bumps his gums nonetheless.
Jake Shields
Lost via UD at UFC 129
Record since = 3-1-1
Shields conjured his inner Koscheck during his bout with GSP and went into unintentional eye-poke mode, which limited the champion’s vision for a majority of the fight. Even fighting with one peeper, GSP was able to easily outpoint Shields for 25 minutes. Though Shields is 3-1-1, he could just as easily be 1-3-1 because his last two fights were decided via split decision in his favor. He is a very good fighter who probably has a few years left in his career (provided California continues to approve medicinal marijuana) but he will never be champion.
Let’s be honest about two things right now. First, Condit had GSP really hurt for about 90 seconds and that was the only time that “The Natural Born Killer” held any advantage during the 25 minute affair. Secondly, Condit is the only name on this list that still has the potential to be the welterweight champion in the future. Though he is only batting .500 in his last two contests, Carlos Condit is a stud who could be the champ one day if/when GSP retires (or does something else). Until then, he is waiting in line.
Diaz finally got a shot at GSP and was thwarted by footwork, speed and wrestling. The destructor of all things bullshit then (as expected) acted like a petulant child, took his ball, went home, and retired. I can’t wait for 2014 to see if Nick decides to stop promoting his own fighting organization and start promoting his comeback fight (CAGEPOTATO BAN BE DAMNED).
There you have it. With the exception of Carlos Condit, there is not one guy on this list that is a “player” in the welterweight mix. Fitch is out of the UFC, while Penn is grasping at straws as he plays musical weight classes and prepares for a swan song. Thiago Alves needs a new mattress because his bed bugs have been cross-bred with injury bugs and Dan Hardy may never fight again due to his medical condition. Josh Koscheck is still a dickhead but now more of a gatekeeper than contender and the world awaits a global coma for the Jake Shields vs Ben Askren fight to get announced (although now that seems unlikely). That leaves us with Nick Diaz who is, well, Nick Diaz and there isn’t a thing anybody can do about it. Minus Condit, all of these men have seen their once prolific and ascending careers’ tailspin in recent years and there is only one thing that they ALL have in common: They were all dominated by GSP. Georges St. Pierre doesn’t end the fight inside the cage, he ends the fighter.
(Rampage intimidates Beltran while Bjorn Rebney continues to do his best Dana White impression. / Image via Sherdog)
Bellator 108 had the potential to be a disaster for the perennial runner-up promotion, but it wasn’t. All of the main card fights were exciting, first-round finishes. And, most importantly, the right guy won the main event.
Here’s the event recap, from bottom to top:
On the prelims, Bellator’s 6’6″ English light heavyweight prospect Liam McGeary advanced to 6-0. He’s raw but, from what we’ve seen so far, also quite talented and diverse. If he were in the UFC, there’d be dozens of “Is Liam McGeary the man to beat Jones in 2014?” articles written by now.
UFC and strikeforce veteran Nah-Shon Burrell won a forgettable unanimous decision against a guy named Jesus Martinez who also had a Jesus tattoo. Awesome.
Two other UFC vets were featured on the prelims: Tom DeBlass and Jason Lambert. The fight between them was short. DeBlass scored a walk-off KO with a devastating hook early in the first round.
The main card started with the featherweight tournament final between Bellator mainstray Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Justin Wilcox. Pitbull finished Wilcox in the first round in largely uncompetitive fight. Every one of Freire’s frequently-landed punches seemed to rock Wilcox, who eventually succumbed to the Brazilian’s flurries. This was the second time Freire has won the Bellator featherweight tournament.
Read on to learn about the specifics of Rampage’s victory as well as of the Bellator heavyweight title fight.
(Rampage intimidates Beltran while Bjorn Rebney continues to do his best Dana White impression. / Image via Sherdog)
Bellator 108 had the potential to be a disaster for the perennial runner-up promotion, but it wasn’t. All of the main card fights were exciting, first-round finishes. And, most importantly, the right guy won the main event.
Here’s the event recap, from bottom to top:
On the prelims, Bellator’s 6’6″ English light heavyweight prospect Liam McGeary advanced to 6-0. He’s raw but, from what we’ve seen so far, also quite talented and diverse. If he were in the UFC, there’d be dozens of “Is Liam McGeary the man to beat Jones in 2014?” articles written by now.
UFC and strikeforce veteran Nah-Shon Burrell won a forgettable unanimous decision against a guy named Jesus Martinez who also had a Jesus tattoo. Awesome.
Two other UFC vets were featured on the prelims: Tom DeBlass and Jason Lambert. The fight between them was short. DeBlass scored a walk-off KO with a devastating hook early in the first round.
The main card started with the featherweight tournament final between Bellator mainstray Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Justin Wilcox. Pitbull finished Wilcox in the first round in a largely uncompetitive fight. Every one of Freire’s frequently-landed punches seemed to rock Wilcox, who eventually succumbed to the Brazilian’s flurries. This was the second time Freire has won the Bellator featherweight tournament.
Then the card moved onto Marcos Galvao vs. Tom McKenna. Galvao, a BJJ ace, smothered McKenna, cut him open, and finished him via TKO near the end of the first round. Thought it seemed like a piss-break match (it was the least-significant fight of the night yet it was sandwiched between two important fights rather than at the beginning of the card), it was an enjoyable fight to watch.
A Bellator heavyweight title fight was the night’s co-main event, which is telling. A has-been former UFC champ facing a never-was UFC reject took top billing over a match for a “world” title. Champion Alexander Volkov met fellow Russian Vitaly Minakov. The fight started with brief fireworks, then went into a lull after which Minakov floored Volkov and finished the champ with strikes. It was all over in a round.
Rampage Jackson fought late-replacement Joey Beltran in the main event. Despite being a little doughy (the fight was at a catchweight of 210 rather than 205), Jackson didn’t look as bad as the MMA world thought he would. He was a little quicker than in his previous outings, threw a few kicks, and landed some great knees. There were bouts of stalling and clinching for the latter half of the first round, but Rampage eventually landed a flurry that floored Beltran, prompting a stoppage right as the bell rang. One of the night’s highlights came after the fight, during Rampage’s post-fight promo. He was trying to take the mic from Jimmy Smith, who refused to acquiesce all the while you could hear someone screaming “DON’T LET HIM TAKE IT,” at the top of their lungs. It was about as awkward as that time Dana White reprimanded Colton Smith for ignoring the Harley-Davidson rep when he won a motorcycle.
Overall? Not bad. The fights were optimized for the casual fans (quick TKO finishes) and, for the first time in a while, something went right for Bellator: Rampage won his fight in convincing fashion. And the card he was on, one that was likely to draw more eyes than others, was entertaining. The fights might actually want to make people watch another Bellator show in the future.
But the biggest issue after Bellator 108 is what they’ll will do with Rampage now. He’s likely to high-profile for a tournament, yet they’ll compromise their integrity (like that matters) if they gift Rampage a title shot. Bellator’s future will be interesting, to say the least.
Complete results:
Main Card:
Quinton Jackson def. Joey Beltran via TKO (punches), 4:59 of Round 1
Vitaly Minakov def. Alexander Volkov via TKO (punches), 2:57 of Round 1
Marcos Galvao def. Tom McKenna via TKO (punches), 4:29 of Round 1
Patricio Freire def. Justin Wilcox via TKO (punches), 2:23 of Round 1
Preliminary Card:
Sam Oropeza def. Chip Moraza-Pollard via TKO (punches), 0:37 of Round 1
Tom DeBlass def. Jason Lambert via KO (punch), 1:45 of Round 1
Nah-Shon Burrell def. Jesus Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Anthony Morrison def. Kenny Foster via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 30-26)
Liam McGeary def. Nahim Wali via submission (armbar), 1:31 of Round 1
Will Martinez def. Kevin Rodday via submission (rear naked choke), 3:50 of Round 1
Dan Matala def. Ryan Cafaro via TKO (strikes), 3:52 of Round 2
Rob Sullivan def. Sergio da Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
There is only one fighter in the UFC who currently has his next two fights booked, and his name is Chael Sonnen.
The former middleweight journeyman turned middleweight title contender turned light heavyweight title contender will fight Rashad Evans this weekend in the co-main event of UFC 167, Zuffa’s 20th anniversary blowout card. It’s a fight that should theoretically hold importance as far as the rankings and title picture in the UFC light heavyweight division, but for some reason, it just doesn’t seem to.
There is only one fighter in the UFC who currently has his next two fights booked, and his name is Chael Sonnen.
The former middleweight journeyman turned middleweight title contender turned light heavyweight title contender will fight Rashad Evans this weekend in the co-main event of UFC 167, Zuffa’s 20th anniversary blowout card. It’s a fight that should theoretically hold importance as far as the rankings and title picture in the UFC light heavyweight division, but for some reason, it just doesn’t seem to.
No wonder this fight between Sonnen and Evans doesn’t seem important. For the co-main event bout of the UFC’s biggest PPV event of the year, this matchup sure is being looked over, and both fighters even commented in interviews leading up to the fight that they felt they were riding second fiddle to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks, who headline the card — this despite the fact Evans and Sonnen are two of the UFC’s top-five draws (St. Pierre, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are the others, according to Dana White following the UFC 152 post-fight presser).
Hmm, well gee, maybe it’s because the fight really doesn’t hold any sort of meaningful significance for Sonnen, seeing as how win-or-lose he’ll still have a job Sunday morning and another big-money fight in his near future. With fights like Tyron Woodley vs. Josh Koscheck, which is also set for the main card of UFC 167, fans want to see who wins because, like most matchups, the winner moves up in the division and the loser moves down (and maybe out) from the roster. With Evans and Sonnen, though, it feels different. And I believe it’s because Sonnen already has his path set after the fight that the fans just aren’t that interested in it. At least, that’s why I’m not that interested in the fight.
The situation Sonnen is in is a rarity in the UFC, and from my knowledge only the second time that a fighter has had his next two fights lined up in Octagon history. From what I’ve gathered, it’s the first time a fighter in the UFC has had two fights booked at once since Vitor Belfort did a few years ago. In December 2011, the UFC announced that Belfort would square off against – ironically – Wanderlei Silva following the taping of TUF Brazil 1, even though he already had a fight booked against Anthony Johnson at UFC 142 in January 2012. It made the fight with Johnson feel like it was even more insignificant — something that worsened when Johnson missed weight — and all for the sake of TUF Brazil.
But what happened in Belfort’s situation is beside the point. What I’m concerned about here is the co-main event of the biggest pay-per-view not meaning anything at all for half the players involved (for Evans, it’s obviously a must-win fight if he ever wants to fight for the title again).
Because guess what? It doesn’t matter if Sonnen wins or loses. Why? Because he’s the smartest man in the room, and his smarts have allowed him to get a free pass in a fight, something which absolutely no other fighter in the UFC has the luxury of. But having two fights booked isn’t the only reason Sonnen is smart, it’s also because having two fights guaranteed means he’s set to make a bag of money, especially if UFC 167 does well.
In a scrum interview with the media a couple days ago, Sonnen revealed that it was he who requested to fight at UFC 167. According to Sonnen, he originally asked for Wanderlei Silva but due to Silva being injured he was instead booked against Evans, who, by the way, is his co-worker at FOX Sports.
It was smart for Sonnen to ask to fight in the co-main event of UFC 167, as the event is likely to do the typical major pay-per-view numbers that any and every St-Pierre PPV does. Because Sonnen is in the co-main event of the evening, he is likely to be in line for PPV points. And since the event is likely to top 800k and possibly even higher buys, Sonnen is in line to make a lot of money.
And, the crazy thing is, he doesn’t even have to win the fight against Evans because his future is already secured with a fight against Silva and a job as a TUF coach on tap. And that’s not even talking about the fact he already has a sweet gig for life with FOX after his fighting career is over. All this for a 36-year-old fighter with a 29-13-1 record. Genius? It’s not that far fetched to call Sonnen that.
Sonnen is just so smart, and I don’t think many people realize it. In my opinion, he’s the smartest fighter currently in the UFC, and maybe in the world of MMA. And I say that even though I’m not even that much of a fan of his brash personality or his top-heavy fighting style.
Admittedly, he’s won me over somewhat in the last 15 months or so, with his offer to save the UFC 151 PPV last year and his submission win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua this past summer, but overall I don’t think he’s an elite light heavyweight. Yet somehow, he managed to get himself a title fight against Jon Jones despite coming off a TKO loss to Anderson Silva, then went and secured a main event matchup on the UFC’s FS1 debut. Now he has a fight booked against a popular legend in Wanderlei Silva coming up. And he’s done all of this despite the fact he doesn’t talk much trash anymore, which was his strongest selling point during his feud with Anderson Silva. Genius? I would say so.
I’m not expecting much from Sonnen this weekend, because he really has nothing to gain from beating Evans. Sure, it gives him a win over a former UFC light heavyweight champion on his resume and a win bonus, but guess what? Sonnen is still going to get paid the big bucks either way on Saturday night, and next spring against Silva he’s going to get paid the big bucks again. And, in both fights, it doesn’t even matter if he wins or loses.
Most fighters in the world of mixed martial arts would kill to be in the position Sonnen is in, where the outcome of his fight doesn’t matter as his employment is ensured either way. In a cut-throat sport like MMA, where every fight is supposed to matter and fighters are – rightly or wrongly — supposed to fear being cut, Sonnen has somehow figured out how to get past all of that that. Suffice it to say, many other fighters should take a look at Sonnen’s career and start taking notes, because it’s hard to argue that he isn’t the smartest fighter in the room right now. And, evidently, the UFC wouldn’t have it any other way.
(PRIDE t-shirt > tailored suit. Always. You should know this by now, Rory. / Photo via MMAFighting)
The UFC’s latest pay-per-view spectacular goes down tomorrow night in Las Vegas, and we’ll be liveblogging the main card action beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. To help get you in the mood, CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and staff writer Jared Jones have reunited for a bullshit session about all of UFC 167‘s most important themes. Or at least some of them. Mostly we’ll be posting GIFs and talking about online gambling, like usual. Enjoy…
You don’t actually believe Johny Hendricks has a shot here, do you?
BG: No sir, I do not. I really don’t see how this fight plays out any differently than GSP’s second fight against Josh Koscheck, to be honest. Yes, Hendricks can knock you out with his (generously telegraphed) left hand if you stand in front of him, but he’s just not a technically sound striker, and St. Pierre won’t be standing in front of him except for the brief moments that precede a blast double-leg takedown. Yes, Hendricks is a skilled wrestler, but as it applies to MMA, St. Pierre is a much, much better wrestler.
GSP will spend all five rounds out-striking Hendricks and scoring the occasional takedown just to prove that he can, running up his already absurd statistical records in the process. In fact, I’m so sure that this will be the outcome that I’m not even looking forward to this fight all that much. Jared may have given this one a “coolbeans!” in this week’s GIF-Ranking column, but to me, GSP vs. Hendricks is nothing more than Matt Hughes’s ambivalent shrug.
JJ: Did Rudy Ruettiger have “a shot” at making the dress roster of the 1975 Notre Dame Fighting Irish? Did Michael Oher have “a shot” at rising from the ashes of a broken home to eventually be drafted in the 2009 NFL draft?! DID KIRK GIBSON, DOWN TWO DECENT LEGS AND STOMACH RIDDLED WITH THE FLU, HAVE “A SHOT” AT PINCH-HITTING A 9th INNING, WALK OFF HOME RUN IN GAME 1 OF THE 1988 WORLD SERIES?!!
Matt Serra has arms the size of Baby Sinclair, yet he was able to touch the chin of GSP. Johny Hendricks, on the other hand, punches like a Super Saiyan Goku on steroids. So yes, Ben, I think he has “a shot.”
(PRIDE t-shirt > tailored suit. Always. You should know this by now, Rory. / Photo via MMAFighting)
The UFC’s latest pay-per-view spectacular goes down tomorrow night in Las Vegas, and we’ll be liveblogging the main card action beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. To help get you in the mood, CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and staff writer Jared Jones have reunited for a bullshit session about all of UFC 167‘s most important themes. Or at least some of them. Mostly we’ll be posting GIFs and talking about online gambling, like usual. Enjoy…
You don’t actually believe Johny Hendricks has a shot here, do you?
BG: No sir, I do not. I really don’t see how this fight plays out any differently than GSP’s second fight against Josh Koscheck, to be honest. Yes, Hendricks can knock you out with his (generously telegraphed) left hand if you stand in front of him, but he’s just not a technically sound striker, and St. Pierre won’t be standing in front of him except for the brief moments that precede a blast double-leg takedown. Yes, Hendricks is a skilled wrestler, but as it applies to MMA, St. Pierre is a much, much better wrestler.
GSP will spend all five rounds out-striking Hendricks and scoring the occasional takedown just to prove that he can, running up his already absurd statistical records in the process. In fact, I’m so sure that this will be the outcome that I’m not even looking forward to this fight all that much. Jared may have given this one a “coolbeans!” in this week’s GIF-Ranking column, but to me, GSP vs. Hendricks is nothing more than Matt Hughes’s ambivalent shrug.
JJ: Did Rudy Ruettiger have “a shot” at making the dress roster of the 1975 Notre Dame Fighting Irish? Did Michael Oher have “a shot” at rising from the ashes of a broken home to eventually be drafted in the 2009 NFL draft?! DID KIRK GIBSON, DOWN TWO DECENT LEGS AND STOMACH RIDDLED WITH THE FLU, HAVE “A SHOT” AT PINCH-HITTING A 9th INNING, WALK OFF HOME RUN IN GAME 1 OF THE 1988 WORLD SERIES?!!
Matt Serra has arms the size of Baby Sinclair, yet he was able to touch the chin of GSP. Johny Hendricks, on the other hand, punches like a Super Saiyan Goku on steroids. So yes, Ben, I think he has “a shot.”
BG: To be perfectly clear, I’m not a Rory hater. I think he’s a phenomenally talented fighter, and in general, I have nothing against creepy men wearing trenchcoats as long as they stay away from the park where I take my kid. That being said, Robbie Lawler represents one of the two greatest career-resurgence stories of 2013 — the other being Doug “The Rhino” Marshall, obviously — and yeah, I’ve got a soft spot for him.
Watching “Ruthless” return to the UFC as a welterweight and smoke Josh Koscheck and Bobby Voelker in short order has been a treat for us old-school fans. If he knocks out MacDonald, I’ll be as giddy as Dafoe in the backseat. Plus, there’s something that bothers me about GSP hinting that he’ll leave the welterweight division so Rory can take over. That’s just not how it works, dude.
Please construct a parlay bet for UFC 167 that’s 1) very profitable, and 2) not a guaranteed loser.
BG: It would be my pleasure. A $10 parlay on St. Pierre + Sonnen + Lawler + Cerrone + Perez + Campuzano would bring you back $1,356.21 in profit on BetUs. GSP and Erik Perez are locks, if you ask me. Chael Sonnen — who ran through Shogun in one round in his last fight — could do the same thing to a struggling, under-motivated Rashad Evans, and Robbie Lawler has the power to put Rory MacDonald to sleep with a single punch. The Cerrone vs. Dunham match is a pick-‘em, but I think Cowboy’s due for a good night. Meanwhile, Will Campuzano is a stiff underdog against Sergio Pettis (and rightly so), but Showtime’s little brother has never set foot inside the Octagon, and he’s never beaten anybody you’ve heard of. When the hype-train goes one way, your cash should go the other.
JJ: $100 on Sonnen-MacDonald-Elliot-Cerrone-Ebersole nets $2,728.38 in return. I call it the “Pasty Parlay Perfecto.” I wanted to include Ed Herman in it, but come on.
Which fight on this card will exceed expectations, and which one will fall short?
JJ: When Will Campuzano loses, he does so in dramatic fashion. The man has been body shot TKO’d by Eddie Wineland (no shame there), choked out by Damacio Page in just over a minute (LOL!), and is perhaps best known for falling victim to the only pillory choke submission in UFC history. I expect Sergio Pettis to do nothing less than flying tornado kick his head into the third row come Saturday night.
As I’ve previously mentioned, Sonnen vs. Evans unfortunately seems like it’s going to be a real piss break of a co-main event if I’ve ever seen one before. Rashad just isn’t fighting like the guy who sent Chuck Liddell into orbit anymore, simply put — he’s fighting timid, he’s fighting gun-shy. And despite the persona he tries to pass off on us cretins, Chael Sonnen really isn’t all that bad of a guy in reality. That he’s completely refrained from referring to Evans as a cocky, fat, sewer-dwelling shyster should tell you all you need to know about how this fight will go down, which is to say, like a light sparring session between two friends who have nowhere to go in the light heavyweight division…
BG: Indiana-based veteran Anthony “The Recipe” Lapsley is making his UFC debut on the Facebook prelims tomorrow, and while most of you only know him as one half of a classic double-knockout, he’s actually a dangerous grappler who could turn in a memorable ground war against Jason High — and maybe even snatch up the Submission of the Night bonus.
As for the fight that will fall short? Not that Koscheck vs. Woodley has a ton of hype behind it, but it is a main card fight, and it could very well be awful. Coming off a loss, Tyrson Woodley might revert back to his wall-and-stall roots just to secure a victory. Josh Koscheck is coming off of two losses, and could be playing it safe as well. (Now that I think of it, none of the fights on the main card are guaranteed to be awesome.) My prediction: This fight will stink up the joint, and Donald Cerrone will angrily spit dip-juice backstage and mutter “I told y’all so.”
(The bourgeoisie and the proletariat shed their blood for the world’s scraps, while a shadowy bald figure in the background pulls the strings. Can’t you see? WE’RE ALL JUST PAWNS IN THE GAME, MAN. / Photo via Facebook.com/MMAFighting)
UFC 167 is shaping up to be — on paper, at least — one of the most loaded events of the year. This isn’t a surprise; the UFC marks its 20th anniversary this month and does so with what should be a sufficient amount of bombast. Headlining Saturday’s festivities will be the UFC’s reigning king of pay-per-view, Georges St-Pierre. His opponent is Johny Hendricks, a decorated collegiate wrestler with a left hand that will lay waste to whatever unfortunate being happens to lie in its path. There can be no doubt that Hendricks, in this sense, might pose the single greatest threat that GSP has faced in his MMA career. He might also be the easiest matchup GSP has faced in years.
Against St-Pierre, Hendricks epitomizes the idea of a “puncher’s chance.” He has virtually no advantage over GSP except power — power so substantial that the threat of it seems to have obscured glaring weaknesses that St-Pierre is particularly gifted at exploiting. Granted, his power is impressive. If he hits GSP flush with his left hand, he can end the fight in an instant. He should, for the first few rounds at least, be capable of keeping the fight on the feet. He’d better, because he has little chance of victory on the ground. His bottom game is solely focused on returning to his feet, and he has not shown the ability to threaten from top position. Recall how easily and how often Carlos Condit, a well-rounded fighter who does not possess extraordinary wrestling ability, was able to return to his feet in Hendricks’ last fight. No, if Hendricks wants to win he needs to look for the kill shot.
Here’s where Hendricks runs into problems. If he lands his left hand, the fight is his. The tricky part is actually landing it. His two best knockouts — against Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann — came against opposition with terrible footwork. Hendricks can cover ground extraordinarily fast; backing up against him doesn’t work well at all. Even if he misses the left hand, by pushing opponents straight back they invariably end up against the fence. This is where Hendricks does his best wrestling; against Condit, every single one of his takedowns came after he backed Condit up with left hands and put him against the fence. In some of his previous fights, Hendricks has relied on pushing opponents into the fence and grinding out (sometimes questionable) decisions. It’s an effective strategy, so long as he’s the superior wrestler and his opponents back up in a straight line.
Unfortunately for Hendricks, neither qualifier applies to this fight.
(The bourgeoisie and the proletariat shed their blood for the world’s scraps, while a shadowy bald figure in the background pulls the strings. Can’t you see? WE’RE ALL JUST PAWNS IN THE GAME, MAN. / Photo via Facebook.com/MMAFighting)
UFC 167 is shaping up to be — on paper, at least — one of the most loaded events of the year. This isn’t a surprise; the UFC marks its 20th anniversary this month and does so with what should be a sufficient amount of bombast. Headlining Saturday’s festivities will be the UFC’s reigning king of pay-per-view, Georges St-Pierre. His opponent is Johny Hendricks, a decorated collegiate wrestler with a left hand that will lay waste to whatever unfortunate being happens to lie in its path. There can be no doubt that Hendricks, in this sense, might pose the single greatest threat that GSP has faced in his MMA career. He might also be the easiest matchup GSP has faced in years.
Against St-Pierre, Hendricks epitomizes the idea of a “puncher’s chance.” He has virtually no advantage over GSP except power — power so substantial that the threat of it seems to have obscured glaring weaknesses that St-Pierre is particularly gifted at exploiting. Granted, his power is impressive. If he hits GSP flush with his left hand, he can end the fight in an instant. He should, for the first few rounds at least, be capable of keeping the fight on the feet. He’d better, because he has little chance of victory on the ground. His bottom game is solely focused on returning to his feet, and he has not shown the ability to threaten from top position. Recall how easily and how often Carlos Condit, a well-rounded fighter who does not possess extraordinary wrestling ability, was able to return to his feet in Hendricks’ last fight. No, if Hendricks wants to win he needs to look for the kill shot.
Here’s where Hendricks runs into problems. If he lands his left hand, the fight is his. The tricky part is actually landing it. His two best knockouts — against Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann — came against opposition with terrible footwork. Hendricks can cover ground extraordinarily fast; backing up against him doesn’t work well at all. Even if he misses the left hand, by pushing opponents straight back they invariably end up against the fence. This is where Hendricks does his best wrestling; against Condit, every single one of his takedowns came after he backed Condit up with left hands and put him against the fence. In some of his previous fights, Hendricks has relied on pushing opponents into the fence and grinding out (sometimes questionable) decisions. It’s an effective strategy, so long as he’s the superior wrestler and his opponents back up in a straight line.
Unfortunately for Hendricks, neither qualifier applies to this fight. While he may well be the superior amateur wrestler, he’s just not as good at wrestling in an MMA context as Georges St-Pierre. While Hendricks’ takedowns are dependent upon the clinch against the cage, St-Pierre can shoot doubles, singles, transition between the two, use the cage, switch to back control, maintain top position on the ground and do all of this while fluidly alternating between his striking and grappling. And while his takedown defense is also superb, don’t be surprised if GSP doesn’t have to use it much. Unlike Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann, St-Pierre doesn’t back straight up. He’s excellent at maintaining distance between himself and his opponent, closing it only when he wants to attack and effectively circling out when he’s pressured. The only meaningful shot landed against him in recent fights was a deceptive headkick thrown by Condit; Hendricks doesn’t possess the same diversity of striking technique or the element of surprise that enabled Condit’s kick to be successful.
Hendricks success in striking is startling despite his utter predictability. All it takes to avoid his left hand is to circle towards his right, which he conveniently drops whenever he throws his left. When St-Pierre fought Josh Koscheck — another high-level college wrestler with a powerful overhand — his entire strategy was to circle to Koscheck’s right and throw a counter jab that possessed as much beauty as it did power. Despite circling into Koscheck’s power hand, St-Pierre emerged unhurt while Koscheck’s orbital bone was broken in the first round and further punished over the next four. Against Hendricks, St-Pierre has the opportunity to employ the same strategy, only with less risk as he’ll be circling away from Hendricks’ power hand.
It’s hard to see just how Hendricks would adjust to this. Of course, it’s entirely possible he could make the necessary improvements in a relatively short amount of time; it’s been done before. But it’s also extraordinarily unlikely. As things stand, Hendricks seems to be an opponent tailor-made for GSP — legitimately threatening, but vulnerable in ways St-Pierre is primed to exploit. There is also the question of stamina; we know GSP can go five rounds. Can Hendricks? Ultimately, this — like virtually all of his other fights — is St-Pierre’s to lose. Expecting a finish from GSP seems like wishful thinking at this point, as much due to his lack of finishing power as his opponents’ durability. So while it may not be the most appropriate grand finale for the card that celebrates the unexpected, thrilling, violent rise of the UFC over the past two decades, expect yet another dominant decision from the champion rooted in sound strategy, patience and overwhelming skill.
