Tag: Johny Hendricks

Johny Hendricks Gives 3 Reasons He’s Different Than Wrestlers GSP Has Faced

Barring any kind of training camp mishap, a long, sought-after title shot will finally become reality for Johny Hendricks on Nov. 16. That’s the date Hendricks is scheduled to step into the Octagon and square off against UFC welterweight kingpin …

Barring any kind of training camp mishap, a long, sought-after title shot will finally become reality for Johny Hendricks on Nov. 16. That’s the date Hendricks is scheduled to step into the Octagon and square off against UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre.

Hendricks (15-1) is the No. 1-ranked fighter in the 170-pound division, earning that ranking—and his shot at St-Pierre—by running off six straight wins. Hendricks’ last win, a unanimous decision over former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, came on the same fight card as St-Pierre’s last title defense, UFC 158.

St-Pierre (24-2) defeated Nick Diaz via unanimous decision on that March 2013 card. The victory extended St-Pierre’s winning streak to 11 fights. The win, in front of a hometown crowd in Montreal’s Bell Centre, was St-Pierre’s record eighth UFC welterweight title defense.

Hendricks, a 175-point underdog to the favored (-225) St-Pierre, via Bovada, was asked during the UFC’s recent world tour what makes him different than the other wrestlers St-Pierre has faced during his career (video via Rick J Lee).

The ever-confident NCAA wrestling champion quickly ran off three ways that he differs: “One, I’m stronger than anybody that he’s ever faced. I hit harder than anybody that he’s ever faced. I’m quicker than anybody that he’s ever faced.”

The bout between St-Pierre and Hendricks will headline UFC 167. The fight card will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas fight will be St-Pierre’s first in the UFC’s hometown since he defeated Thiago Alves on July 2009. St-Pierre’s last four title defenses took place in Canada.

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On This Day in MMA History: Anderson Silva Clowns Forrest Griffin, BJ Chokes Out Ken-Flo, And Johny Hendricks Makes a Smashing Debut at UFC 101


(Photo via Getty. Click to enlarge.)

“I tried to punch him and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, ‘Why would you do such a stupid thing?’ He looked at me like, ‘Oh, did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think you slow, slow white boy,’ and then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad.”

That’s how UFC light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin described his painful run-in with Anderson Silva, which happened exactly four years ago today, on August 8th, 2009. The infamous one-rounder took place during UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, an event that was headlined by BJ Penn‘s second lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian. (The Silva vs. Griffin non-title fight was slotted in the co-main event; to date, it was the only fight in Silva’s UFC career that wasn’t a main event.)

If you’ll recall, Silva scored the knockout with a short, backpedaling right hand (you might even call it Petruzelli-esque), after putting on a brief clinic on head-movement and showboating. Afterwards, Joe Rogan called Griffin’s loss “one of the most embarrassing knockouts I think we’ve ever seen,” which is a little unfair when you consider Anderson’s other-worldly talent and the fact that Griffin was half-zonked on Xanax at the time.

Besides the incredible/humiliating knockout in the co-main event, UFC 101 was notable for a few other reasons. For instance…


(Photo via Getty. Click to enlarge.)

“I tried to punch him and he literally moved his head out of the way and looked at me like I was stupid for doing it. He looked at me like, ‘Why would you do such a stupid thing?’ He looked at me like, ‘Oh, did you really think you were going to hit me? What a stupid thing to think you slow, slow white boy,’ and then he punched me. I felt embarrassed for even trying to punch him. I felt like some kid trying to wrestle with his dad.”

That’s how UFC light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin described his painful run-in with Anderson Silva, which happened exactly four years ago today, on August 8th, 2009. The infamous one-rounder took place during UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, an event that was headlined by BJ Penn‘s second lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian. (The Silva vs. Griffin non-title fight was slotted in the co-main event; to date, it was the only fight in Silva’s UFC career that wasn’t a main event.)

If you’ll recall, Silva scored the knockout with a short, backpedaling right hand (you might even call it Petruzelli-esque), after putting on a brief clinic on head-movement and showboating. Afterwards, Joe Rogan called Griffin’s loss “one of the most embarrassing knockouts I think we’ve ever seen,” which is a little unfair when you consider Anderson’s other-worldly talent and the fact that Griffin was half-zonked on Xanax at the time.

Besides the incredible/humiliating knockout in the co-main event, UFC 101 was notable for a few other reasons. For instance…

– As we recently pointed out, Penn’s rear-naked choke win over Florian was the ninth latest finish in UFC history. Apparently, Florian might have been winning on the scorecards heading into the championship rounds.

– UFC 101 marked the promotional debut of then-undefeated welterweight Johny Hendricks, who had just completed a two-fight stint in the WEC. Hendricks’s first Octagon appearance was a successful one, as he TKO’d Amir Sadollah in just 29 seconds. Ten fights later, Hendricks has earned a shot at the welterweight world title against Georges St. Pierre, the same guy who was holding the belt back in August 2009.

– Rousimar Palhares was supposed to fight on the card against Alessio Sakara, but had to withdraw due to a broken leg, and was replaced by Thales Leites. Sakara won by split-decision, and Leites was fired by the UFC — just four months after he had fought Anderson Silva for the middleweight title. Luckily, he made his way back.

– The show pulled an estimated 850,000 pay-per-view buys, making it (at that time) the sixth most successful UFC PPV ever. Only five UFC events have drawn more buys since then.

Johny Hendricks on Georges St-Pierre: ‘I’ve Got to Beat Him Twice’

In the Octagon, Johny Hendricks looks like a left-handed Leonidas who grunts when he sleeps.
He charges with enough reckless abandon to make the Juggernaut (NSFW) retreat like he just messed with Sasquatch.

If Dracula drank Hendricks’ blood, he’d wake…

In the Octagon, Johny Hendricks looks like a left-handed Leonidas who grunts when he sleeps.

He charges with enough reckless abandon to make the Juggernaut (NSFW) retreat like he just messed with Sasquatch.

If Dracula drank Hendricks’ blood, he’d wake up with a hangover from getting drunk with power.

You get the point: Johny Hendricks is intimidating.

But outside of the cage, his demeanor flips the script and is infinitely more serene. Hendricks seems less like a hard-hitting cage fighter and more like a camp counselor ready to hand out pamphlets and oatmeal cookies.

Recently, the welterweight No. 1 contender shot the breeze with MMAWeekly.com and touched upon his upcoming UFC 167 bout vs. Georges St-Pierre. 

Judging from his responses, Hendricks tends to see life through a long-sighted lens. 

Firstly, the bearded brawler revealed that he naturally walks around at 215 to 220 pounds. Considering welterweights often tip the scales at (roughly) 175 on fight night, the 40-plus-pound cut explains why he resembles a pocket-sized Paul Bunyan in the Octagon. 

Hendricks proceeded to raise a few eyebrows by referring to UFC 167 as “Hendricks-GSP I.” When asked about the added number, he giddily grinned and offered, “I know I have to beat him twice.”

The stone-fisted contender explained: 

I’ve got to beat him twice. I’m not going to beat him once and get away with it. I’ve got to beat him twice, unless it’s just a…blowout for me. You know, that’s the only way that it’s not going to happen. But if I go out there and knock him out in the first round, there’s going to be GSP [vs. Hendricks] II.  

If Hendricks follows through and upsets St-Pierre, UFC president Dana White will find himself staring at a pot-bellied cash cow. Hendricks, who was born in Oklahoma and trains in nearby Dallas, Texas, has already expressed interest in holding a potential rematch at Jerry Jones’ AT&T Stadium (home of the Dallas Cowboys and the world’s largest epileptic nightmare). 

In the history of American-hosted UFC events, Dallas drew the second-highest attendance with 17,428 spectators at UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort (2009). The recently renovated AT&T Stadium seats 80,000 ticket holders. 

Texans clearly like their cage fights.

If White signed off on a grudge match that pinned a would-be local champion against a future legend, connecting the dots makes out a paycheck that could dwarf the overhead screen. 

 

Thank Brett for not ending with an “Everything is bigger in Texas” pun by following him on Twitter:

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Ronda Rousey Gives Miesha Tate the Finger, Jon Jones Makes Eye Contact With Alexander Gustafsson, And More Championship Staredowns From the ‘UFC World Tour’ [VIDEO]

(Video props: MMA H.E.A.T. via Reddit_MMA)

On Monday, the UFC kicked off an insanely ambitious promotional tour that will take the headliners for UFC 165, UFC 166, UFC 167, and UFC 168 to five countries over five days. The “UFC World Tour” stopped at the Club Nokia at Nokia Live in Los Angeles yesterday, and the fighters had a chance to get up in each others’ faces, while the meatheaded fans in attendance shouted whatever came to mind, like they were at home watching it on TV. You can check out the video above. Some highlights…

0:17-1:00: Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate come out dressed like office temps. They mean-mug each other, and Rousey gives Tate the ol’ Stockton Heybuddy walking away. The crowd fires off various catcalls. Dana’s goony mug at 0:41 says it all.

1:10-1:52: Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks face off, with Hendricks looking noticeably jacked. The crowd chants “USA!” A fan asks Hendricks what he weighs, and Hendro says “215,” flexing like a boss.

1:54-2:30: Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos take the stage. Nothing much happens.

2:35-3:07: Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson get very close. Gustafsson rolls his tongue around in his mouth, preparing himself for the incoming kiss…but it doesn’t come. Breaking with tradition, Jones actually shifts his head and looks directly into the eyes — nay, the soul — of Alexander Gustafsson. Jones hoists his belt, then pop-and-locks his way off stage. The crowd boos.


(Video props: MMA H.E.A.T. via Reddit_MMA)

On Monday, the UFC kicked off an insanely ambitious promotional tour that will take the headliners for UFC 165, UFC 166, UFC 167, and UFC 168 to five countries over five days. The “UFC World Tour” stopped at the Club Nokia at Nokia Live in Los Angeles yesterday, and the fighters had a chance to get up in each others’ faces, while the meatheaded fans in attendance shouted whatever came to mind, like they were at home watching it on TV. You can check out the video above. Some highlights…

0:17-1:00: Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate come out dressed like office temps. They mean-mug each other, and Rousey gives Tate the ol’ Stockton Heybuddy walking away. The crowd fires off various catcalls. Dana’s goony mug at 0:41 says it all.

1:10-1:52: Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks face off, with Hendricks looking noticeably jacked. The crowd chants “USA!” A fan asks Hendricks what he weighs, and Hendro says “215,” flexing like a boss.

1:54-2:30: Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos take the stage. Nothing much happens.

2:35-3:07: Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson get very close. Gustafsson rolls his tongue around in his mouth, preparing himself for the incoming kiss…but it doesn’t come. Breaking with tradition, Jones actually shifts his head and looks directly into the eyes — nay, the soul — of Alexander Gustafsson. Jones hoists his belt, then pop-and-locks his way off stage. The crowd boos.

3:35-3:40: “We want Brock! We need Brock!” Ugh, you guys.

3:45: The fighters line up while the fans continue to shout shit at them.

4:53-end: “Who’s the girl in the yelloooooow?!” [*crowd cheers*] Ugh, seriously, you guys.

The remaining stops on the UFC World Tour are…

– 1 p.m. ET July 31, Beacon Theatre, New York: News conference with UFC President Dana White, Velasquez, dos Santos, Jones, Gustafsson, St-Pierre, Hendricks, Rousey and Tate. Free and open to the public.
– 12:30 p.m. ET Aug. 1, Complexe Desjardins, Montreal: News conference with UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright, St-Pierre and Hendricks. Free and open to the public.
– 1 p.m. CT Aug. 1, Toyota Center, Houston: Open workouts with Velasquez and dos Santos. Free and open to the public.
Aug. 1: Stockholm. Press tour with Jones and Gustafsson.
– 1 p.m. CT Aug. 2, Cowboys Stadium, Dallas: Open workouts on the field with St-Pierre and Hendricks. Free and open to the public.
– Aug. 2, Chicago: Press tour with Rousey and Tate.
– Aug. 2, London: Press tour with Jones and Gustafsson.
– 3 p.m. BRT Aug. 2, HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro: Velasquez and dos Santos joint Q&A session prior to weigh-ins for UFC 163. Free and open to the public.

Johny Hendricks Wants to Break Something…Will It Be Enough to Beat GSP?

Rory MacDonald vs. Jake Ellenberger has got the MMA world yammering about ‘”exciting versus boring” in the context of what takes place when the door to the Octagon is slammed shut. 
Boring could be translated to smart or effective, depending on wh…

Rory MacDonald vs. Jake Ellenberger has got the MMA world yammering about ‘”exciting versus boring” in the context of what takes place when the door to the Octagon is slammed shut. 

Boring could be translated to smart or effective, depending on who you ask. Smart, boring, whatever you want to call it won out when MacDonald stymied Ellenberger. The battle of juxtaposing superlatives will wage on when champ Georges St-Pierre takes on Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.

Hendricks will look to strike up a convo. St-Pierre will look to snuff out his attempt at banter. GSP will lay it on thick with his top game while “Big Rig” will try to lighten things up with his power punching. The French Canadian is thinking jab and takedown—rinse, wash and repeat—while the Dallas, Texas native really wants to feel good by breaking something.

Speaking at Monday’s UFC World Tour 2013 stop in Las Vegas (h/t MMAJunkie), Hendricks waxed poetic about what he plans on doing when he steps in the cage opposite GSP.

I don’t want to take ‘GSP’ down, I want to lay him out. That’s all I want to do. That’s what the fans want to see, and I know I have the power in both hands to do it. I will bite on my mouthpiece and eat a jab to land a right or a left hand on his jaw line. That’s the difference. Punch me in the face, I’ll punch you twice as hard.

When I’m in there, my goal is to break someone’s jaw. Let them forget who they are that night. Let them wake up the next morning and go, ‘What the hell happened?’ That’s my goal every fight. If he’s going to sit there and do that jab, watch. I’ll bite on the mouthpiece. I’ll eat one to throw my left or right hand all day long.

Hendricks is saying all the right things. Or at least saying what Dana White and every fan wants to hear (not that Dana is specifically rooting for his popular champ to lose, but he is a fan of “exciting” fights).

But will his talk translate into actually touching the champ’s chin and knocking his lights out? That is a tall order. Whether or not Hendricks can seal the deal is why so many are ready for them to get it on.

At least he will make it exciting. Or attempt to make it exciting.

If the affair is anything like GSP’s fight with Koscheck, we will be watching the champ put on a jab clinic. And it won’t be Hendricks doing any breaking, rather it’ll be St-Pierre. Who can forget what Koscheck’s eye looked like after Curious George showed us what a face mutates into after breaking the orbital bone?

So while Hendricks has committed to being footloose and fancy free, it in no way guarantees anything. Not a win. Not excitement. It will be on St-Pierre to be a willing dance partner. Don’t count on that.

GSP wants to win. He is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that. That takes commitment when verbal venom like “safe” or “boring” is flying at your face from all angles. It may as well be molten lava.

And if Hendricks loses, at least he can sleep at night knowing he did everything he could to be exciting,  while also trying to win. He is a man of principles—at least we can give him that.

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5 Reasons to Root for a Johny Hendricks Win over GSP

Johny Hendricks is the No. 1 contender to George St-Pierre’s crown.
They will meet in November in a highly anticipated bout between two of the best fighters in all of MMA today.
GSP has been able to use his wrestling to dominate opposition, but Hendric…

Johny Hendricks is the No. 1 contender to George St-Pierre’s crown.

They will meet in November in a highly anticipated bout between two of the best fighters in all of MMA today.

GSP has been able to use his wrestling to dominate opposition, but Hendricks may be able to test that notion. It will force GSP to stand with his power.

We have already seen one pound-for-pound great fall in 2013. Will Hendricks be able to add to that list in November? Time will tell, but here are five reasons you should be rooting for Hendricks to take the title.

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