Nick Diaz fans, it’s time to put your money where your stinkin’ mouths are. MMAFighting gives us the heads-up that UFC 158‘s main event just opened up with Georges St. Pierre as a -430 favorite, and Diaz as a +310 underdog. In other words, a $100 bet on Diaz would net you a $310 profit should the challenger win on March 16th, enough to buy you some of that good weed.
Nick Diaz fans, it’s time to put your money where your stinkin’ mouths are. MMAFighting gives us the heads-up that UFC 158‘s main event just opened up with Georges St. Pierre as a -430 favorite, and Diaz as a +310 underdog. In other words, a $100 bet on Diaz would net you a $310 profit should the challenger win on March 16th, enough to buy you some of that good weed.
“There’s no guarantees with Nick Diaz. I got nine welterweights that are all in the top five on this show, so if he falls out, we’ll still have a GSP fight.”
That’s right. Nine welterweights in the top five at UFC 158, a card that only has six welterweights on it right now. Who knows how many top-five welterweights Dana has on his entire welterweight roster? There could be dozens. Okay, maybe Dana meant “nine welterweights in the top ten,” although that’s still not an accurate statement in relation to UFC 158, and I can’t tell if the hypothetical tenth guy is supposed to be Ben Askren or not.
The more important point is that St. Pierre will defend his belt at UFC 158, with Diaz or without him. So if Diaz gets himself suspended again, maybe Hendricks will get his big moment after all.
Johny Hendricks is easy to like: a world class wrestler who likes to bang. This is an explosive matchup. Full credit to Joe Silva for making this clash happen and for both fighters for accepting it. These two welterweight stars can end anyone’s night …
Johny Hendricks is easy to like: a world class wrestler who likes to bang. This is an explosive matchup. Full credit to Joe Silva for making this clash happen and for both fighters for accepting it. These two welterweight stars can end anyone’s night with one punch. Both have excellent full-on styles and look to finish fights with their superhuman punching power.
“Big Rig” has been making news with his vociferous dissent from being passed over for the title shot for perennial contender, Nick Diaz. Truthfully, Hendricks needs this one more win to solidify his number one contender position. Hendricks is amazingly exciting and is on a five-fight win streak over the division’s best, but a caveat: two of the five wins were via split decision. The other three are wild K.O. finishes that deserve to be on any highlight reel and have stricken fear into his contemporaries.
Mike Pierce and Josh Koscheck could have easily been awarded those split decision wins that went the way of the 2005 and 2006 NCAA wrestling champion. A win over the dangerous Ellenberger would make Hendricks the definitive number one contender. Possessing a clear advantage in wrestling and grappling will give him an edge, but his biggest asset is Jake’s penchant for gassing.
Ellenberger has proven that he is unstoppable in the first round. His ten career first-round knockouts speak to that. The winner of seven of his last eight contests, he is truly a top contender. His pressure is unrelenting for the first few minutes. That lone loss came after he spent himself while smashing the filling out of Martin Kampmann. He intelligently paced himself in his rebound win against crafty veteran Jay Hieron in October. That is the game plan that he needs to follow to compete with Hendricks.
Both have big K.O. wins over top fighters. Johny’s hit list includes Kampmann, Fitch, Brenneman andSadallah. Jake’s resume boasts knockouts over Shields, Pierson, Pyle, Zach Light and “Pele”. The contest itself will prove who the better power-puncher is. What is not ambiguous is the fact that this is the contest to determine the next defense for Georges St-Pierre.
Interestingly, both have decision losses to Rick Story—whom Demian Maia recently manhandled. Regardless, this is the best non-title fight at welterweight and proves that GSP has unfinished business in the division to address before moving up.
The Juggernaut is 11-2 over the past 13 fights. He is a beast in the division. A close split decision loss to Carlos Condit was a watershed moment in his life that probably cost him a title shot. Being a few more blows from finishing Kampmann must also have been a bitter pill to swallow. Come March, he will have his chance for redemption. A hungry Hendricks will not make it easy.
On a side note, for those who feel that Diaz does not deserve the fight over the wrestling star, the point is moot because the fight is happening. Nick was in line to fight GSP at UFC 137, but lost it for non-fight reasons and then destroyed BJ Penn. Instead of waiting for GSP, he took on the dangerous Condit. He should be rewarded for bucking the waiting trend and not punished.
Who won, Condit or Diaz, is a debate for another article. What cannot be debated is that Nick has proven himself worthy of a title shot for a much longer time that Johny.
At 14-1 and with massive wins over Kampmann and Fitch, Hendricks has arrived on the welterweight scene with fanfare. At 28-6, Ellenberger has proven he can take out the best in the business. There is no doubt that this is the categorical showdown to determine the number one contender.
The only potential wrench to ruin a class affair would be Jake Ellenberger, who comes prepared to fight only one round. It behooves one to consider that he has never had a third round knockout in his career and only one of his UFC knockouts came past the first stanza.
On the 16th of March in 2013 at UFC 158 in Montreal, these two will square off. This is how the Oklahoma State Cowboy should present his case for a title shot—in the Octagon with a legit killer. The ChaelSonnen routine does the affable and dynamic star a disservice. At the end of the night his title dream will be answered, either with: “Go Johny, go!” or “Johny, We’re Sorry.”
About a month ago, the UFC’s welterweight title picture cleared up after nearly two years of confusion. Champion Georges St. Pierre returned after a long injury-induced lay off to face and beat interim champion Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks stopped Martin Kampmann to establish himself as the clear number one contender to the St. Pierre’s belt.
Despite this, St. Pierre lobbied to face the suspended Nick Diaz, who had a shot against St. Pierre but then gave it because of, you know, reasons, lost to Carlos Condit and then tested positive for marijuana metabolites. Diaz will indeed get another crack at St. Pierre on March 16th in Montreal, assuming he decides to pick up a phone for media conference calls and make all his flights, and Hendricks will risk his earned #1 contender status against Jake Ellenberger on the same night.
Speaking to MMA Fighting this weekend, Hendricks said that the UFC made him take the Ellenberger fight and stuck to his “Georges is running scared,” line. “Man, he’s scared,” Hendricks said.
About a month ago, the UFC’s welterweight title picture cleared up after nearly two years of confusion. Champion Georges St. Pierre returned after a long injury-induced lay off to face and beat interim champion Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks stopped Martin Kampmann to establish himself as the clear number one contender to the St. Pierre’s belt.
Despite this, St. Pierre lobbied to face the suspended Nick Diaz, who had a shot against St. Pierre but then gave it because of, you know, reasons, lost to Carlos Condit and then tested positive for marijuana metabolites. Diaz will indeed get another crack at St. Pierre on March 16th in Montreal, assuming he decides to pick up a phone for media conference calls and make all his flights, and Hendricks will risk his earned #1 contender status against Jake Ellenberger on the same night.
Speaking to MMA Fighting this weekend, Hendricks said that the UFC made him take the Ellenberger fight and stuck to his “Georges is running scared,” line. “Man, he’s scared,” Hendricks said.
“That’s why [St. Pierre] wants me to keep fighting because maybe I’ll lose and then he won’t have to retire (before fighting me).”
For his part, St. Pierre told media assembled in Las Vegas Saturday for the TUF 16 Finale that he’s fighting Diaz because he’s got a grudge against him and because its a marketable fight. “I do feel bad for Johnny Hendricks,” St-Pierre admitted.
“But put yourself in my shoes, it’s the big fight, this fight is waiting to happen for a long time, and you know, its a big fight, that’s what people want to say. Everyone wants to fight me know, it’s crazy. I cannot split myself in half. If I took another fight, the others, they both would have complained, what do they want me to do, you know?”
Give St. Pierre credit for just telling the truth on this one. Fans can probably understand the duality of recognizing the unfairness to Hendricks while also believing that St. Pierre has earned the right to pick opponents the way boxing superstars get to at times. St. Pierre went on to say that he simply can’t fight everyone that is calling him out at once, citing Diaz, Hendricks and Anderson Silva. That’s definitionally true and also kind of a bad ass thing to say, so “Rush” gets extra points for telling Silva and Hendricks to basically get in line.
Just about every top welterweight contender will be fighting on that UFC 158 card in Montreal, March 16th, it seems. Carlos Condit has accepted Rory MacDonald’s challenge and the pair will rematch. MacDonald is coming off a dominating win over former two-division champion BJ Penn and Condit is coming off of his loss to St. Pierre. Condit owns a win over MacDonald from several years ago, however, and MacDonald seems single-mindedly focused on avenging that defeat.
Where do you think we’ll be on March 17th, nation? Will the welterweight call Nick Diaz king? Will Hendricks run in and unexpectedly help St. Pierre by hitting Diaz with a steel chair in order to get his fight with the Canadian? Will MacDonald win and then turn heel by calling out his teammate St. Pierre? Have I been watching far too many soap operas and professional wrestling this week instead MMA?
UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks isn’t happy that Nick Diaz will be fighting divisional champion Georges St-Pierre for the belt at UFC 158, but that didn’t stop him from taking a high-profile bout on the same card. Although he could’ve s…
UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks isn’t happy that Nick Diaz will be fighting divisional champion Georges St-Pierre for the belt at UFC 158, but that didn’t stop him from taking a high-profile bout on the same card.
Although he could’ve sat on the sidelines until the middle of next year and waited for a title, “Big Rigg” told MMA Fighting why he decided to stay active and fight Jake Ellenberger instead:
“(I) just have to win and GSP has nowhere to hide from me,” he said via text message. “Man, he’s scared. That’s why he wants me to keep fighting because maybe I’ll lose and then he won’t have to retire (before fighting me).”
Hendricks indicated that he can force GSP into an early retirement after their fight or perhaps that “Rush” may even retire before having to fight him.
The heavy handed wrestler enters the critical March contest on a five fight win streak, including knockout victories over perennial contenders Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann.
St-Pierre explained his stance on the matter in an interview with MMA Junkie, arguing that Diaz is the opponent fans want to see him fight and even stating that the Stockton, California native is the true number one contender:
“This fight has been waiting to happen for a long time,” St-Pierre said. “It’s the big fight. That’s what people want to see…”I believe Diaz is No. 1 ranked. The guy has been there for a long time. He took out a great name (in B.J. Penn). His fight with Condit is very controversial. For some people, he won the fight. For some people, he lost. Hendricks, when he fought Koscheck, personally I would have given the fight to Koscheck…I speak with my heart, and that’s what I believe. I would have given Koscheck that fight, even though I don’t like Koscheck.”
Diaz is serving a Nevada State Athletic Commission issued suspension for testing positive for marijuana metabolites after UFC 143, where he lost a controversial decision to Carlos Condit.
Meanwhile, Hendricks defeated Josh Koscheck at UFC on FOX 3 in May in another hotly contested decision.
St-Pierre head coached opposite Koscheck on season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter and has defeated him twice by decision in his career.
Both GSP vs. Diaz and Hendricks vs. Ellenberger were announced for UFC 158 at The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 Finale Saturday night, which features a third pivotal match up at 170-pounds in Rory MacDonald vs. Carlos Condit.
Did Hendricks make the right call in accepting a difficult fight to prepare himself for showdown for St-Pierre or was he better off waiting on the sidelines until the UFC called his number?
We’ve got a welterweight triple-header for the UFC’s return to Canada’s Bell Centre.Along with the main event of Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz for the 170-pound title, UFC 158 will also feature two more main card fights with four top contenders in th…
We’ve got a welterweight triple-header for the UFC’s return to Canada’s Bell Centre.
Along with the main event of Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz for the 170-pound title, UFC 158 will also feature two more main card fights with four top contenders in the division.
As announced by the promotion on Saturday, Rory MacDonald will challenge former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in a rematch of their UFC 115 bout.
When the two previously met, Condit got the best of MacDonald with a TKO finish, making a comeback after nearly losing the fight with three seconds left on the clock.
Further filling out the main card, Johny Hendricks will put his No. 1 contender’s spot at risk in a matchup against Jake Ellenberger.
Hendricks comes into the fight fresh off a KO victory over Martin Kampmann in a bout that was said to determine the next challenger for St-Pierre’s title.
Unfortunately for Hendricks, GSP specifically requested a grudge match with Diaz, forcing Hendricks to take another fight in-waiting.
Ellenberger is in the middle of rebuilding his own title run, with losses to Kampmann and Condit as the only blemishes on his 7-2 UFC career.
Additionally, AlessioSakara will rematch Canadian favorite Patrick Cote in order to make up for an odd situation that ended their last fight at UFC 154. Sakara earned himself a disqualification loss after landing several hammerfists to the back of Cote’s head, prematurely ending the bout on illegal shots.
UFC top welterweight contender Johny Hendricks said he is still holding out hope that his next fight will be for the title. Hendricks said he’d sign up for a non-title fight, but has no interest in fighting Jake Shields, whose recent Twitter challenge …
UFC top welterweight contender Johny Hendricks said he is still holding out hope that his next fight will be for the title. Hendricks said he’d sign up for a non-title fight, but has no interest in fighting Jake Shields, whose recent Twitter challenge he said he found amusing.
Hendricks said Monday on The MMA Hour broadcast with host Ariel Helwani:
“I laugh. He doesn’t advance my cause at all. My cause is to be a number one contender. I think he was 2-2 in the UFC at 170. What he’s trying to do, I don’t blame him. I have a target on my back. And I like that position. But I just want the belt in my hand.”
Hendricks said he is still hoping to face GSP next, though he won’t necessarily refuse a different opponent:
“Saying I don’t want anything less [than a title shot] is not a disrespect to anyone else, but you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and then someone tries to send you a curveball. But if there’s someone else I have to fight, I leave that to my manager and Joe Silva…But I’m really, really hoping that it’s GSP, maybe in April, maybe in May. We’ll see.”
Shields’ tweet, since deleted but available here, advised Hendricks to “quit crying…and fight me next” after Hendricks expressed disappointment over being leapfrogged for a welterweight title shot despite three straight wins versus top contenders.
Hendricks said he would blame St-Pierre, not the UFC, if Diaz indeed received the next title shot:
“GSP came to them…Give me that shot. If I win, awesome. And they can still fight. If I lose, then they can still fight.”
Hendricks dismissed the idea that Diaz’s persistent taunting of St-Pierre (and the presumably high level of interest their grudge match would create) justifies Diaz receiving the fight:
“[Diaz] is on suspension and I’m actually fighting to get my title shot. I’m more mad at GSP for calling somebody else out. I think [GSP] is trying to stay away from me. What other reason is there? I’ve tried to analyze it every other way. Other than that, it would just be because [Diaz] talked trash. But who cares? I train with guys who talk trash to me every single day…Who cares about the past? You have unfinished business? Well, so do I. GSP takes it away from me, so now I have unfinished business with GSP.”
