Tag: Johny Hendricks

Ben vs. Jared — ‘UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks’ Edition


(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.”

And that’s pretty much it.

As a fan, how psyched will you be if Robbie Lawler knocks Rory MacDonald the fuck out?


(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.”

And that’s pretty much it.

As a fan, how psyched will you be if Robbie Lawler knocks Rory MacDonald the fuck out?

JJ:

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.”

 

What Was Up With Johny Hendricks Last Night on Fox Sports Live? [VIDEO]

(Props: FOX Sports Live)

Is he delirious from the weight cut? Did somebody spike his cough syrup? Did he just get poked in his right eye? Did somebody interrupt his nap? Is he blazed as hell? What’s with all the blinking? There has to be an explanation for why Johny Hendricks seemed a little…impaired…during his FOX Sports Live appearance last night, hyping his UFC 167 main event with Georges St. Pierre. We’ve transcribed a couple highlights below, but seriously, you should watch this thing yourself and tell us what you think.

On whether GSP should be scared of him: “A-hah-hah, you know what, here’s the thing…uh…it’s…to each their own, y’know? I’m not scared of anybody. Uh, whenever you get in the Octagon, just do what you do, y’know? Um. He might be, I don’t know, y’know, here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter. Uh…all I want is a win.”

On his squabble with GSP over drug testing: “I don’t need drugs to win. A-heh. Youknowwhattimean? If I’m at 220, I don’t look like I’m at 170. I’m fat, out of shape, and I love my life. Youknowwhattimean? I don’t need steroids. I don’t need steroids to have power. If I had power…if I had steroids, I wouldn’t be at 170. I’d probably be at 205. The way that I eat and the do all that stuff so here’s the thing, is that one person has accused me of something or ‘read between the lines’…uh, y’know, Georges had six fights, err six years to prove his innocence of people accusing him of stuff. He wants to prove it with me, he just chose the wrong person.”

Ed. note: At 7:23-7:26, we see that the split-screen presentation is just bullshit, and that Georges and Johny are really in the same room, sitting next to each other. Good work, FOX.


(Props: FOX Sports Live)

Is he delirious from the weight cut? Did somebody spike his cough syrup? Did he just get poked in his right eye? Did somebody interrupt his nap? Is he blazed as hell? What’s with all the blinking? There has to be an explanation for why Johny Hendricks seemed a little…impaired…during his FOX Sports Live appearance last night, hyping his UFC 167 main event with Georges St. Pierre. We’ve transcribed a couple highlights below, but seriously, you should watch this thing yourself and tell us what you think.

On whether GSP should be scared of him: “A-hah-hah, you know what, here’s the thing…uh…it’s…to each their own, y’know? I’m not scared of anybody. Uh, whenever you get in the Octagon, just do what you do, y’know? Um. He might be, I don’t know, y’know, here’s the thing. It doesn’t matter. Uh…all I want is a win.”

On his squabble with GSP over drug testing: ”I don’t need drugs to win. A-heh. Youknowwhattimean? If I’m at 220, I don’t look like I’m at 170. I’m fat, out of shape, and I love my life. Youknowwhattimean? I don’t need steroids. I don’t need steroids to have power. If I had power…if I had steroids, I wouldn’t be at 170. I’d probably be at 205. The way that I eat and the do all that stuff so here’s the thing, is that one person has accused me of something or ‘read between the lines’…uh, y’know, Georges had six fights, err six years to prove his innocence of people accusing him of stuff. He wants to prove it with me, he just chose the wrong person.”

Ed. note: At 7:23-7:26, we see that the split-screen presentation is just bullshit, and that Georges and Johny are really in the same room, sitting next to each other. Good work, FOX.

UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks — Main Event Breakdown


(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)

By George Shunick

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)

By George Shunick

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.

UFC 167 Weigh-in Results: Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks Fight Card

UFC 167 will become official on Friday evening when the cast of fighters take the stage to weigh in.
The main event of the UFC’s 20th anniversary show will be Georges St. Pierre defending the UFC Welterweight Championship against top contender Johny He…

UFC 167 will become official on Friday evening when the cast of fighters take the stage to weigh in.

The main event of the UFC’s 20th anniversary show will be Georges St. Pierre defending the UFC Welterweight Championship against top contender Johny Hendricks.

Official Fight Card:

UFC Welterweight Championship: Johny Hendricks (170) VS Georges St-Pierre (170)
Chael Sonnen (206) VS Rashad Evans (205)
Robbie Lawler (170) VS Rory MacDonald (171)
Tyron Woodley (171) VS Josh Koscheck (170)
Ali Bagautinov (126) VS Tim Elliott (125)
Evan Dunham (156) VS Donald Cerrone (155)
Thales Leites (186) VS Ed Herman (186)
Rick Story (170) VS Brian Ebersole (171)
Edwin Figueroa (135) VS Erik Perez (135)
Anthony Lapsley (170) VS Jason High (170)
Sergio Pettis (135) VS Will Campuzano (135)
Gian Villante (205) VS Cody Donovan (205)

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Johny Hendricks: ‘My Mind Is to Kill GSP’

Johny Hendricks will be out for blood when he steps into the cage with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 167 on Saturday night.
The top welterweight contender has been living in the shadows for far too long. While St-Pierre has maintained a perpetual strangleho…

Johny Hendricks will be out for blood when he steps into the cage with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 167 on Saturday night.

The top welterweight contender has been living in the shadows for far too long. While St-Pierre has maintained a perpetual stranglehold over the welterweight division, Hendricks has participated in an unending dog fight just to become a No. 1 contender.

The path to the UFC title has finally been revealed to the former Oklahoma State Cowboy. On Saturday night, Hendricks will step into the cage against a future Hall of Famer and arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Will he reach up and grab the ever-elusive brass ring that is within reach, or like so many others, will he shrink in the presence of greatness and fall before St-Pierre in agonizing defeat?

One thing is certain: Hendricks’ mind is set on killing St-Pierre.

This certainly isn’t to be taken for its literal context. Rather, Hendricks informed the world at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday that he means business, and he will be looking to stop St-Pierre in devastating fashion:

My mind is to kill him. I mean not in that sense, but it’s to beat him, to demolish him. I want to win where he doesn’t want to fight me again. That’s the way I go into every fight. This fight is no different than any other. He’s done a lot of things, but that doesn’t matter. When he steps into the Octagon with me, the past is the past, and I plan on making a new future.

A future not revolving around St-Pierre is certainly one to ponder.

The UFC welterweight champ has been champion since 2007. If he wins on Saturday night, he will be one title defense away from tying Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history. He would also break his current tie with Matt Hughes for most wins in the UFC.

Nothing in this world lasts forever. St-Pierre is without question the greatest welterweight in MMA history, but if he continues to compete, someone will eventually come along and knock him off his throne. Is that someone Johny Hendricks?

The world will soon find out.  

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Dana White: Immediate Rematch Likely If GSP Loses to Johny Hendricks

Johny Hendricks may have to shock the world twice to be UFC champion.
At the UFC 167 pre-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White was asked whether Georges St-Pierre would get the Anderson Silva treatment and receive an immediate rematch if he …

Johny Hendricks may have to shock the world twice to be UFC champion.

At the UFC 167 pre-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White was asked whether Georges St-Pierre would get the Anderson Silva treatment and receive an immediate rematch if he loses to Hendricks.

While White never gave a direct answer, he leaned towards St-Pierre still being the No. 1 contender even if he loses on Saturday night:

We’ll see what happens. Obviously, Georges St-Pierre has had the belt since 2007, and before that, he had the belt and he lost to Matt Serra. All fights are different. We’ll see what happens and see how everything plays out. I mean it would be kind of a weird thing to not see Georges St-Pierre get another shot at the title. It would be hard to say that he’s probably not the number one contender even if he loses the belt on Saturday night.

Hendricks has already gone through six opponents just to get the opportunity to challenge St-Pierre for the welterweight title.

It’s going to be hard enough defeating arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world once. Can you imagine being asked to do it twice in a row?

UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman certainly feels Hendricks’ pain. After shocking the world and defeating Anderson Silva in July, Weidman’s first title defense will come against Silva in an immediate rematch scheduled for December’s UFC 168 fight card.

On the flip side, St-Pierre and Silva are easily the most dominant fighters in UFC history. Silva holds a UFC record of 10 consecutive title defenses, and St-Pierre sits right behind him with eight.

A win on Saturday night would give St-Pierre 20 victories inside the Octagon, which would break the UFC record he currently shares with Hall of Famer Matt Hughes. There is also the fact that St-Pierre is by far the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw. If Hendricks does manage to pull off the upset, one can only imagine how big a rematch would be.

People love to put all of the pressure on the champion, but after White’s comments, Hendricks’ shoulders have to be feeling just a little bit heavier.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com