Tag: Johny Hendricks

The Unsupportable Opinion: A Nick Diaz Victory Over Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158 Would Be the Best Thing the UFC Could Possibly Ask For


(“Yeah homie, I’m looking at your cup. Really? Seriously bro? You are super rich, you’re pampered, you’re in all the magazines AND you’re hung like a horse! This sh*t ain’t fair and I’m callin’ total bullsh*t bro!” Photo via CagedInsider.)

By Nathan Smith

I can’t believe I am about to type this: A Nick Diaz victory over Georges St. Pierre would be the best thing for the UFC Welterweight division. As an unabashed, almost stalkerish fanboy of GSP, I should not have to tell you how difficult that was to write. But God Damn, that was not easy to write.

With the exception of the 378 days that were the Matt Serra Era (or the Matt Serra Terror Era), GSP has ruled the welterweight division dating back to November of 2006. Let that sink in for just a second. Serra’s reign withstanding, St. Pierre has been the champ since Borat was in theaters and Justin Timberlake was on the top of the Billboard charts. Let me put it another way: In November of 2006, Tim “The Diet Machine” Sylvia was the Heavyweight Champion and Sean Sherk was the lightweight title holder. Are those guys even still alive? There is no way of knowing. Needless to say, St. Pierre has had a pretty damn good run thus far and it might be time for a temporary change of pace, even though he has been an excellent ambassador for the sport of MMA.

Some say that “Rush’s” style is the epitome of dominance while others say he is a lay-n-pray specialist. Is GSP careful to a fault in his fights? Probably, but he has only lost 2 of the 41 rounds he has fought during his current 10-fight win streak. That is fucking insane. Even the almighty Anderson Silva lost 5 rounds to Chael Sonnen in their two meetings, and Anderson Silva once beat Mars in a game of Risk. GSP is athletic as hell and imposes his will with technique and tremendous cardio, but for the very first time in his career, he is fighting a guy with a gas tank better than his own. Diaz is a machine (<– follow this link for immediate proof) when it comes to his cardio and frequently competes in triathlons, which makes him an absolute freak even when compared to that of his fellow athletes.

But this post isn’t about the stylistic differences between Diaz and St. Pierre. It isn’t a breakdown of the fight or a tale of the tape. It’s about the fact that a Nick Diaz victory on Saturday night would be the greatest thing the UFC could possibly ask for. Here are three scenarios explaining why. I’m going to go throw up.


(“Yeah homie, I’m looking at your cup. Really? Seriously bro? You are super rich, you’re pampered, you’re in all the magazines AND you’re hung like a horse! This sh*t ain’t fair and I’m callin’ total bullsh*t bro!” Photo via CagedInsider.)

By Nathan Smith

I can’t believe I am about to type this: A Nick Diaz victory over Georges St. Pierre would be the best thing for the UFC Welterweight division. As an unabashed, almost stalkerish fanboy of GSP, I should not have to tell you how difficult that was to write. But God Damn, that was not easy to write.

With the exception of the 378 days that were the Matt Serra Era (or the Matt Serra Terror Era), GSP has ruled the welterweight division dating back to November of 2006. Let that sink in for just a second. Serra’s reign withstanding, St. Pierre has been the champ since Borat was in theaters and Justin Timberlake was on the top of the Billboard charts. Let me put it another way: In November of 2006, Tim “The Diet Machine” Sylvia was the Heavyweight Champion and Sean Sherk was the lightweight title holder. Are those guys even still alive? There is no way of knowing. Needless to say, St. Pierre has had a pretty damn good run thus far and it might be time for a temporary change of pace, even though he has been an excellent ambassador for the sport of MMA.

Some say that “Rush’s” style is the epitome of dominance while others say he is a lay-n-pray specialist. Is GSP careful to a fault in his fights? Probably, but he has only lost 2 of the 41 rounds he has fought during his current 10-fight win streak. That is fucking insane. Even the almighty Anderson Silva lost 5 rounds to Chael Sonnen in their two meetings, and Anderson Silva once beat Mars in a game of Risk. GSP is athletic as hell and imposes his will with technique and tremendous cardio, but for the very first time in his career, he is fighting a guy with a gas tank better than his own. Diaz is a machine (<– follow this link for immediate proof) when it comes to his cardio and frequently competes in triathlons, which makes him an absolute freak even when compared to that of his fellow athletes.

But this post isn’t about the stylistic differences between Diaz and St. Pierre. It isn’t a breakdown of the fight or a tale of the tape. It’s about the fact that a Nick Diaz victory on Saturday night would be the greatest thing the UFC could possibly ask for. Here are three scenarios explaining why. I’m going to go throw up.

Scenario #1

If Carlos Condit manages to beat Johny Hendricks and St. Pierre pummels Diaz, is anybody really excited about seeing a GSP vs “The Natural Born Killer” rematch?” Even though their first meeting was an entertaining 25 minutes, there is no reason to think that the outcome will be any different the second time around. I can see the promos now…the Hail Mary kick that Condit landed to GSP’s melon over and over and over and over again, because that is all the UFC marketing machine could do to make anybody believe that this will NOT essentially be a repeat of their first scrap. Let’s all be honest: Condit won 90 seconds of that 25 minute affair and there isn’t one person not named Carlos Condit or Greg Jackson that has any desire to see it happen again.

Scenario #2

“Bigg Rigg” (why two G’s? Because fuck you, that’s why.) splatters Condit’s face and GSP beats Diaz. Yet again we are in a situation that is a little dicey. Are fans ready to embrace Hendricks as a legitimate contender? He has that country bumpkin charm and one hell of a left hand but he just doesn’t move the needle when it comes to overall fan appeal. With another victory, Hendricks absolutely deserves a shot at GSP, and his decorated collegiate wrestling pedigree could pose some issues in a potential fight with the reigning champ, but we have seen St. Pierre manhandle credentialed wrestlers before (ie. Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck). GSP is more of a Glass Joe than an Arturo Gatti in the chin category but that fact alone doesn’t exactly mean must see TV.

Scenario #3

Diaz shocks the world and beats GSP. At this point, the Condit vs. Hendricks winner is irrelevant because Diaz would more-than-welcome a rematch with Condit, and during the greatest conference call in the history of the universe, Nick had less than flattering things to say about Hendricks as well (I know, hold your shock). This is a win-win-win for the UFC, the fans, and the entertainment factor pertaining to the sport of MMA for the next 18 months. It would take at least a year for Diaz, St. Pierre, Condit, Hendricks, Marquardt, Ellenberger and MacDonald to figure out who fights each other, who is ranked where and what the hell is going to happen next. The match-ups are not exactly defined for Joe Silva and that is exciting for the welterweight division, but more importantly, it is invigorating for the fans that have seen GSP dominate a division for the better part of a decade. GSP may be the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw now, but a trash-talking antihero sociopath as a champion? Fans would shell out big money for a chance to see a ticking time bomb like Diaz finally implode.

Since Koscheck is a shell of his former self and Chael Sonnen is a mixed bag of hate and love, there really isn’t a true “Bad Guy” in the UFC. Diaz would be the perfect outlaw, riding into town wearing his black (presumably hemp) hat, chain smoking what we can only assume are cowboy killers. Diaz is a self-proclaimed slayer of all things bullshit and would wage war against boring fights. Clearly Diaz is a tortured soul, and if he were to take the welterweight title from one of the most beloved champions in UFC history (and God forbid if he managed to finish him), it would thrust the despised recluse into the mainstream, which he probably isn’t emotionally ready for. Can you imagine Diaz surviving a live ESPN interview without drawing the ire of the masses? Sure, it puts a momentary black eye on our sport but it also brings eyeballs to boob-tubes and gives the casual fan somebody to root against.

It all plays out perfectly for rubbernecking MMA fans that always enjoy slowing down to check out the car wreck on the freeway. It would be an absolutely beautiful disaster…until GSP reclaims the welterweight title during the compulsory UFC New Year’s PPV in 2014, of course.

At that point, all will be right in the world again.

But on Saturday, a Nick Diaz victory would make the predictable welterweight division a case of art imitating life imitating bumper cars and that is a good thing that a stagnant division desperately needs. However, this is all contingent upon the fact that Diaz does NOT piss straight sticky-icky THC into his sample cup during the post fight drug test.

Don’t let this (fist-posing d-bag of a) GSP fan down, Nick.

UFC 158 Johny Hendricks: Just Another One Handed Slugger?

Power is the great equalizer in combat sports. It doesn’t matter how much of a technical advantage a fighter has on paper, if he doesn’t mind his manners against a big puncher he has every chance of throwing the fight away. Just ask Dan Henderson, who …

Power is the great equalizer in combat sports. It doesn’t matter how much of a technical advantage a fighter has on paper, if he doesn’t mind his manners against a big puncher he has every chance of throwing the fight away. Just ask Dan Henderson, who has defeated far more experienced and varied strikers on the feet by merit of them engaging him in the only type of stand-up fight he is guaranteed to win.

Johny Hendricks is the typical one punch banger—not an awful lot of skill or technique, but possessing the ability to throw his weight into one of his punches so well that he can end the night early if it connects. Hendricks, like many other great one sided punchers, has yet to round out his game or show much in the way of technical striking.

Hendricks’ stand-up game is so reliant on swinging his left hand that there isn’t a great deal of strategy to speak of. The subjects we shall talk about today instead are:

–  Martin Kampmann‘s errors against Hendricks

– The flaws in Hendrick’s left hand.

 

Kampmann‘s errors against Hendricks

Johny Hendricks’ most recent win came against the highly touted striker Martin Kampmann by way of a brutal one punch knockout—furthering Hendricks’ reputation as a man to be feared on the feet. Almost all knockouts can be attributed to mistakes made by one party—and as those of you who have been reading my pieces for some time will know—every fighter in the world is making mistakes all the time.

That isn’t just something I say to belittle the level of striking in MMA, it is just genuinely impossible to cover every prospective target at every moment, even when sticking to textbook form. Kampmann‘s mistakes were, however, of the kind that can be easily fixed or avoided. 

To begin with, Kampmann answered Hendricks’ first rush by running straight backwards until he collided with the cage. Those of you who read my piece on Stefan Struve‘s failings or my Hunt vs. Struve postfight breakdown, will know that this is a cardinal sin.

Getting an opponent onto the ropes or fence removes one direction of escape and forces the opponent to pick a side to escape to or cover up. It isn’t coincidence that Anthony Pettis keeps doing awesome stuff off of or against the cage—just count the number of times he deliberately maneuvers his opponents to there.

Kampmann‘s second great sin in that bout was bouncing. Bouncing on the balls of one’s feet might work in competition karate, where the distance between the combatants is enormous, but in actual fights it is a dangerous game. 

When you see experienced boxers bounce, they are usually bouncing from one leg to the other or setting up something with a brief bounce. Kampmann, however, chose to bring both feet off of the mat and bounce in rhythm right in front of someone who was desperate to rush him.

Hendricks charged Kampmann while Kampmann‘s feet were already off of the mat and Kampmann was bouncing towards Hendricks—meaning Kampmann had no escape. Check out this gif and watch Kampmann‘s feet.

Kampmann also did absolutely nothing to control Hendrick’s lead hand throughout the fight. In a southpaw versus orthodox encounter, he who controls the hands controls the feet. A fighter will not step his lead foot outside of his opponent’s if he has to leave his lead hand behind—it’s just a daft idea because the opponent can still attempt a lead hook if he has outside hand control.

Furthermore if a fighter does step outside his opponent’s lead foot but leaves his hand inside of his opponent’s, his rear hand will have to travel through the space that is occupied by his lead hand, making finding the target a hard task.

One of the reasons that Josh Koscheck was much more successful than Kampmann was his willingness to hand fight with Hendricks. Using one’s lead hand to control the opponent’s essentially acts as an early warning system on when the opponent is going to lunge forward through the greater distance of a southpaw versus orthodox (or Open Guard) encounter.

 

The Flaws in Hendricks’ Left Hand

Johny Hendrick’s left hand is not pretty—you don’t need to have any kind of martial arts pedigree to come to that conclusion. Despite Hendricks being stocky and strong, it is possible for almost anyone to punch with great power if they commit to throwing their weight into a punch as much as Hendricks does. 

Hendrick’s left-hand swing makes Dan Henderson’s right hand look like textbook boxing technique. Hendricks is completely unguarded throughout—swinging his lead hand low and throwing his head forward as he lunges with his punch.

The result is that Hendricks leaves himself entirely unguarded against his opponent’s left hand as he lunges forward. Leading with the face and dropping the lead arm is tactical suicide against an opponent with a tight, powerful counter left hook. Here is the great Nonito Donaire countering Vic Darchinyan’s lunging left.

Hendricks’ method of leading with his face leaves him utterly exposed to left-handed strikes from his opponents. Against Josh Koscheck—who seemingly can’t make a fist with his left hand—this simply led to Hendricks getting his eyes gouged when he lunged in.

As the bout with Koscheck progressed, Hendricks showed a willingness to sit back and throw punches with better form, and even combinations, but most were almost entirely devoid of a lead hand punch. Doubling or tripling up with punches from the one hand is a fantastic way to catch opponents off guard, but if it is all a fighter does, it becomes very predictable, very quickly—just look at Patrick Cote.

Aside from his great wrestling and dirty boxing game, Hendricks truly seems to be one of the most limited fighters on the feet at 170 pounds. Without even the threat of a good lead hook or jab to hide his intentions and owning a sub-70 inch reach, Hendricks shouldn’t be able to knock out good fighters out in the open.

It is more a matter of complacency and poor strategy on the part of his opponents which allows him to excel. The highly touted striker-but-punching bag in most of his bouts, Martin Kampmann was starched in under two minutes because he opted to bounce around and back straight up against Hendricks’ whirling dervish. For Jon Fitch it was much the same.

Even if his opponents don’t attempt to counter Hendricks’ overhand left, they should at least know that he is limited enough that if they simply circle away from it, he will be stumped for ideas while they are put in a better position to land their own punches.

If there is one thing Carlos Condit has shown that he knows how to do, it is circle away from a southpaw’s left hand. For all the talk of him running from Nick Diaz, he simply ruthlessly exploited a basic fault in Diaz‘s boxing fundamentals over and over. Don’t forget to check out my article “The Achilles Heel of Stockton’s Pride“ before UFC 158 where I talk about this at length.

If Hendricks can get Condit to stand in front of his left hand, with right hands or low kicks he will have shown massive improvement and potential for championship level growth as a fighter. If Condit is simply able to move away from Hendricks all night, we will have to re-evaluate Hendricks’ potential at this stage in his career.

Hopefully UFC 158 will answer some questions about Hendricks’ potential and future in the welterweight division.

Jack Slack breaks down over 70 striking tactics employed by 20 elite strikers in his first ebook, Advanced Striking, and discusses the fundamentals of strategy in his new ebook, Elementary Striking.

Jack can be found on Twitter, Facebook and at his blog: Fights Gone By.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gambling Addiction Enabler: ‘UFC 158: St. Pierre vs. Diaz’ Edition

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

Thus far, 2013 has been kind to Zuffa, with PPV’s and TV broadcasts delivering, whether or not this will be the case after this Saturday night is yet to be determined. Will Dana pull Nick from the main event…again? Will GSP unleash the dark side of his personality on Diaz as promised if the Stocktonian does manage to make it to the ring? Or are these fights all fixed and full of cheaters just trying to help out the economy like Don Frye would have us believe?

Buckle up as we head to the great white north and highlight some of the undercard bouts as well as all the main card bouts for UFC 158 in the hopes of cashing in big and possibly helping contribute to the “Save Danga’s Legs” fund.

Undercard bouts (all betting lines courtesy of BestFightOdds):

Reuben Duran (-140) vs. George Roop (+120)

Roop is a slight underdog against Duran, who is looking to bring his UFC record to .500 in this fight. The 6’1″ Roop is making his bantamweight debut and I think his considerable size advantage in this fight may be worth the bet. Duran has proven he can be out grappled (vs. Mizugaki at UFC Live 3 ) and KO’d (vs. Viana at the TUF 16 Finale) by opponents of lower caliber than Roop, so the TUF 8 alum should be able to use his considerable reach advantage to keep Duran on his feet and possibly finish the BJJ specialist. A quick look at Roop’s record shows losses to current and former top contenders, whereas Duran has simply not fought the same level of competition. This fight may be too steep a step up for him right now.

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

Thus far, 2013 has been kind to Zuffa, with PPV’s and TV broadcasts delivering, whether or not this will be the case after this Saturday night is yet to be determined. Will Dana pull Nick from the main event…again? Will GSP unleash the dark side of his personality on Diaz as promised if the Stocktonian does manage to make it to the ring? Or are these fights all fixed and full of cheaters just trying to help out the economy like Don Frye would have us believe?

Buckle up as we head to the great white north and highlight some of the undercard bouts as well as all the main card bouts for UFC 158 in the hopes of cashing in big and possibly helping contribute to the “Save Danga’s Legs” fund.

Undercard bouts (all betting lines courtesy of BestFightOdds):

Reuben Duran (-140) vs. George Roop (+120)

Roop is a slight underdog against Duran, who is looking to bring his UFC record to .500 in this fight. The 6’1″ Roop is making his bantamweight debut and I think his considerable size advantage in this fight may be worth the bet. Duran has proven he can be out grappled (vs. Mizugaki at UFC Live 3 ) and KO’d (vs. Viana at the TUF 16 Finale) by opponents of lower caliber than Roop, so the TUF 8 alum should be able to use his considerable reach advantage to keep Duran on his feet and possibly finish the BJJ specialist. A quick look at Roop’s record shows losses to current and former top contenders, whereas Duran has simply not fought the same level of competition. This fight may be too steep a step up for him right now.

Antonio Carvalho (+180) vs. Darren Elkins (-220)

Both men fought at the last Montreal show; Elkins blanketed Steve Siler and cashed as an underdog while Carvalho took home a controversial split decision win over Rodrigo Damm. Elkins at around -210 is the right favorite as “The Damage” is likely to take this fight to the ground and stay on top of the BJJ black belt Carvalho. The judges might have to save another hometown decision for Nick Ring, as I do not see Antonio being able to submit Elkins before the end of the 3rd round in this. Elkins is 4-0 all coming via decision in his last 4 outings in the UFC, so the prop that fight goes the distance is also a nice option.

John Makdessi (+100) vs Daron Cruickshank (-120)

All signs point towards stand up, FOTN-style action in this bout with two talented strikers who each hold walk off KO’s in the Octagon. The one glaring aspect of this fight is Cruickshank’s ground game and whether or not he will choose to take Makdessi down for an easy win. In all of his losing efforts, Makdessi has come up short in the grappling department, something Daron is surely looking to exploit. Cruickshank is the razor thin favorite here, but the idea that he can smother Makdessi after an impressive KO win for his 7th straight win makes him an alluring pick. Fight goes the distance prop should pay plus money as well.

Main Card PPV:

Mike Ricci (-280) vs. Colin Fletcher (+240)

Both fighters are coming off TUF Finale losses as considerable favorites. Ricci is moving down to his natural weight class and should not have to worry about being over powered against Fletcher, who showed some holes in his striking game last time out. Mike is a healthy -280 favorite and while he should be able to use his striking to give “Freakshow” fits, he will have to be careful not to find himself on his back with the submissions specialist.

Nick Ring (-115) vs. Chris Camozzi (-105)

Ring was supposed to face Costa Phillipou his last time out, but due to illness/smart career move, was forced to withdraw and will instead find himself against the streaking Chris Camozzi. Just like last time, if this fight goes the distance, Ring will most likely get the nod on the cards, but Camozzi may have the right mix of stand up and submissions to hurt Ring and finish the fight on the ground. Due to where this fight is taking place, Camozzi may not be the best dog to bet on, while Ring is simply too much of a gamble (knee issues, controversial decision wins) to bet on either. Evenly matched opponents suggest fight may go the distance and that is the prop to go with if you are looking to lay it down on this one.

Jake Ellenberger (-165) vs Nate Marquardt (+145)

Ellenberger is the stronger grappler on paper and the favorite to beat the returning Nate Marquardt who will also be making his UFC welterweight debut. Nate has a favorable record against strong grapplers and is worth a look as the small underdog, as Jake has been KO’d before while trying to bring a fight to the ground. This has to be the most difficult fight to pick on this card and staying away simply enjoying the action may be what the doctor ordered. Trying to figure out if the Nate that fought Woodley or the Nate that fought Saffiedine will show up can drive one crazy.

Johny Hendricks (-135) vs Carlos Condit (+115)

The former #1 contender/interim champ meets the consensus current #1 contender in a matchup to decide who may be the official #1 contender to GSP’s title? Awwwww yeah. The Greg Jacksonized version of Carlos is the slight underdog and Hendrick’s left hand is favored at around -140, but this fight most likely will close at pick’em come fight time. Condit is the bigger, less-specialized-but-more-well-rounded fighter and coming off a 5rd decision loss to the welterweight kingpin in his last outing. Hendricks has left two bodies (Kampmann+Fitch) and a decision victory over Josh Koscheck in his last three outings, which have helped propel him to the top of the division.

Condit has never been knocked out and despite the odds, may have the better all around striking game to stay out of trouble en route to a decision victory over Hendricks. Condit should utilize his 8” reach advantage and foot work to stay out of Johny’s power range all the while figuring out Big Rigg’s timing while scoring from the outside. If Johny is unable to close the distance early, he may find himself chasing Condit en route to a decision loss. Condit as the underdog gets the slight nod and fight goes the distance at plus money may be worth a peek.

Georges St. Pierre (-550) vs Nick Diaz (+425)

Nick Diaz is a front-runner fighter when his opponents elect to play his game, almost making the sport look too easy as he routinely out strikes his opponents at a high clip and suddenly ending the fight in spectacular fashion. GSP is also very much a front-runner type of fighter in his own right; his grappling intensive method is the more tried and tested recipe for success in the UFC and ultimately will be the deciding factor this weekend. Diaz welcoming the ground game is sealing his fate as the loser against Georges, who will not trade with Diaz, but rather use his jab to close the distance and take the former Strikeforce champ down to the ground.

-500 does not inspire anyone to run to the betting window and a GSP decision victory should roll anywhere between -150 to -200, which is where bettors have found some solace in GSP’s last five consecutive decision wins. The one caveat is the unpredictability of Diaz; no showing the open workouts, retiring post-Condit fight due to frustration…it may all come to a head against GSP. Diaz may very well Tyson his way out of this fight by the 4th round. Having said this, GSP by decision or nothing is where the money should go.

Parlay 1
Ricci+Elkins

Parlay 2
Condit+Cruickshank

Parlay 3
Roop+Story

Enjoy the fights and may the winners be yours!

Carlos Condit Not Looking Past Hendricks, but Wants to Beat Nick Diaz Again

Montreal—Carlos Condit may not be facing the opponent that he was originally booked to meet at UFC 158, but that doesn’t mean that he’s looking past Saturday’s event. In fact, the injury that knocked Condit’s original oppo…

Montreal—Carlos Condit may not be facing the opponent that he was originally booked to meet at UFC 158, but that doesn’t mean that he’s looking past Saturday’s event. In fact, the injury that knocked Condit’s original opponent, Rory MacDonald, from the card may actually be a blessing for Condit. That is, if he gets a win over Johny Hendricks the man that replaced MacDonald.

If you take a glance at the latest UFC welterweight rankings you’ll see that the No. 1- and 2-ranked fighters in that division do not include MacDonald or the man facing UFC champion Georges St-Pierre in Saturday’s main event, Nick Diaz. No, the top two are the individuals that will meet in the evening’s co-main event, Condit and Hendricks.

Following Wednesday’s UFC 158 open workouts Condit spoke about his feelings on the change in opponents.

Let’s not forget that the MacDonald-versus-Condit fight was originally booked after MacDonald had called out Condit, looking to avenge the sole loss of his 14-1 MMA career. Of the switch, Condit said, “Originally I was a little bummed out, but I got over that pretty quick once we solidified the bout with Johny Hendricks. It’s an exciting fight, it’s a rough matchup for sure, and it’s quite a different style matchup for sure.  Rory’s a real polished striker, Hendricks is more of a brawler with a lot of power in his hands, so there was some adjustment.”

That adjustment will be made a little easier for Condit knowing that he will have his longtime trainer Greg Jackson back in his corner on Saturday. 

Jackson opted not to work with Condit for his last fight, a five-round unanimous decision loss at UFC 154, which took place at the same venue where Condit will face Hendricks. The decision was a business one on Jackson’s part, as he has worked with both St-Pierre and Condit during training. Jackson removed himself from both camps for that bout.

While the loss to St-Pierre was disappointing, Condit now looks at that fight as a learning experience. Speaking of that November 2012 bout Condit said, “Part of me is still disappointed, but I used it as a learning experience and as motivation. I’m ready to come back with a vengeance and get back in there and get back in title contention.”

A win over Hendricks may or may not get Condit a shot at the winner of the St-Pierre versus Diaz bout, because as we all know (and Condit recognized himself), “The title’s picture is never a straight line.” The powers that be would be hard pressed to deny Condit a shot at whoever holds the title at the conclusion of UFC 158, though.

Of the two, Condit let it be known that he would prefer to face Diaz in his next bout.

That admission is somewhat shocking considering that Condit defeated Diaz at UFC 143, earning a unanimous decision.  When asked why he would want to fight Diaz, he simply replied, “I want to beat him again.”

As you can probably guess, the recent UFC 158 media call was also a topic of discussion. If you missed it, Condit was on that call last week, a call that was dominated by Diaz and occasionally a comment from St-Pierre. Condit admitted the call was “very entertaining, I was sitting there trying not to laugh out loud.”

Before Condit can get that rematch with Diaz he’ll have to contend with Hendricks, a skilled wrestler with one of the most powerful left hands in the business. Speaking of his opponent, Condit said, “Lately he’s been showing his stand up, his knockout ability, but he has made a great transition from wrestling to mixed martial artist. I’m expecting a really tough fight, but I think we’ve done enough to prepare for it.”

As for working out in a Montreal mall at 11 am on Wednesday, Condit offered, “It was interesting, I feel like an 80’s pop star.”

*All quotes obtained first hand.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Johny Hendricks Still Angry over GSP Snub but Won’t Trash Talk to Get Title Shot

Johny Hendricks has built up a lot of angst over the last few months, and he’s got a good reason to be so angry. Over the past year and a half, Hendricks has knocked out former title contender Jon Fitch, defeated Josh Koscheck and picked up another KO …

Johny Hendricks has built up a lot of angst over the last few months, and he’s got a good reason to be so angry.

Over the past year and a half, Hendricks has knocked out former title contender Jon Fitch, defeated Josh Koscheck and picked up another KO over perennial top-ten fighter Martin Kampmann, but finds himself only in the co-main event of UFC 158, while welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre battles Nick Diaz in the headline fight.

Frustration has continued to mount for Hendricks who believes deep in his heart that he did everything right to earn a title shot, yet here he sits on the outside looking in.

“I think it’s my last five fights, I’ve knocked three of them out and two of them have been top-five contenders.  No, I don’t have to do anything else.  I’ve done more than GSP has.  Everybody that they’ve fought, I’ve fought, and I’ve knocked a couple of them out, so I’ve done what I needed to do. I just need my shot,” Hendricks said on Wednesday during the UFC 158 open media workouts.

Instead of facing St-Pierre on Saturday, Hendricks has a very tall order in front of him, as Carlos Condit challenges the former NCAA wrestling champion at UFC 158.

Condit was the last fighter to face St-Pierre, and while he didn’t come out on top, his Round 3 head kick almost sent him home to New Mexico with the welterweight title. 

Hendricks knows beating Condit won’t be easy, but if he does, then there’s no denying him the title shot.

“If I beat Carlos Condit, nobody’s in my way.  GSP can’t hide forever.  I think after this one; I beat Carlos Condit, it’s GSP,” said Hendricks.   “He wanted Nick Diaz, and here I am fighting Carlos Condit, which is an amazing opponent in itself, and I’m excited. If I can beat Carlos Condit, that means I am ready for GSP.”

Hendricks watched first hand as the title shot he believes he earned through fighting ended up in the hands of Nick Diaz, who has apparently gotten under the skin of St-Pierre like no fighter before him. 

The war of words between St-Pierre and Diaz led to their encounter, but Hendricks has no intention of going that route to get a shot at the gold.

The former Oklahoma State All-American wants to get his title shot by hard work and results in the cage, not because he can say something outlandish about his opponent.

Still, he believes deep down that St-Pierre is ducking him because he knows the results of the fight would not end well for him.

“I don’t want to be that kind of douchebag,” Hendricks commented about pre-fight trash talk. “I want to look across the Octagon and say ‘you have not faced anybody like me.’ That’s his main little quote is – ‘You’ve never faced anybody like me.’ 

“Bulls—t, you’ve never faced anybody like me. That’s why he didn’t take the fight.”

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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[VIDEO] Nick Diaz Continues His War Against the Bullshit in ‘Countdown to UFC 158? Preview

Because either Nick “The Anti-Bullshit Superhero” Diaz has been busy blowing off documentary film crews or Dana White has been lying about Diaz supposedly doing so, we’re not getting a UFC 158 Primetime special. That sucks, especially given the comedy gold Diaz was able to churn out during last week’s media call. Further adding insult to injury is the fact that the crew who brought us past Primetime documentaries is the same that has put together the Emmy award-winning, 24/7 ones for HBO.

Luckily, we still have a lil some’ some’ from the UFC to give us taste of welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre and challenger Nick Diaz’s training camps – a ten minute preview video, complete with analysis from Kenny Florian and bonus footage of Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks promising to beat the heck out of each other in the night’s co-headlining, #1 contender matchup. Does anyone else foresee a memorable post-fight cage confrontation headed our way?

The correct answer to that question is “yes.” Unless Diaz loses of course, in which case we will be treated to another half-assed pseudo retirement tirade. Should be fun.

It ain’t Primetime, but this video gave us our fix for the day. Besides, Countdown to UFC 158 will premiere on Fuel TV at 11 p.m EST tonight, so if this snippet ain’t doing it for you, the full special surely will.

– Elias Cepeda

Because either Nick “The Anti-Bullshit Superhero” Diaz has been busy blowing off documentary film crews or Dana White has been lying about Diaz supposedly doing so, we’re not getting a UFC 158 Primetime special. That sucks, especially given the comedy gold Diaz was able to churn out during last week’s media call. Further adding insult to injury is the fact that the crew who brought us past Primetime documentaries is the same that has put together the Emmy award-winning, 24/7 ones for HBO.

Luckily, we still have a lil some’ some’ from the UFC to give us taste of welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre and challenger Nick Diaz’s training camps – a ten minute preview video, complete with analysis from Kenny Florian and bonus footage of Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks promising to beat the heck out of each other in the night’s co-headlining, #1 contender matchup. Does anyone else foresee a memorable post-fight cage confrontation headed our way?

The correct answer to that question is “yes.” Unless Diaz loses of course, in which case we will be treated to another half-assed pseudo retirement tirade. Should be fun.

It ain’t Primetime, but this video gave us our fix for the day. Besides, Countdown to UFC 158 will premiere on Fuel TV at 11 p.m EST tonight, so if this snippet ain’t doing it for you, the full special surely will.

– Elias Cepeda