Robbie Lawler flashed his pearly whites throughout his UFC title fight with Johny Hendricks. All but forgotten, one foot out the door just two years ago after a loss to Lorenz Larkin in Strikeforce, Lawler had worked his way back into title contention….
Robbie Lawler flashed his pearly whites throughout his UFC title fight with Johny Hendricks. All but forgotten, one foot out the door just two years ago after a loss to Lorenz Larkin in Strikeforce, Lawler had worked his way back into title contention.
That, alone, is something to smile about. But getting punched in the face? Lawler was just so happy to be fighting for the belt that the mere thought of being there was enough to light up his eyes.
Hendricks lands a left hand? Smile.
Hendricks lands a big knee? Smile.
Hendricks buckled Lawler’s leg with a hard kick—you guessed it: Lawler smiled. By the end of 25 minutes of combat, it was almost by rote.
There would be no smiles afterwards, of course, when the judges revealed their scorecards and Lawler learned that, 13 years after bursting onto the MMA scene, he would not be sitting on the throne after all. Post-fight, his glare was hypnotic, his mental daggers piercing everyone who dared meet his eye.
“The thing is, when you leave it up to the judges, those things happen,” he told the press at UFC 171‘s post-fight conference. “I just didn’t do enough tonight, they thought. I need to go back to work, obviously.”
But during the fight, he was happy, the kind of joy written on his face that only comes when a man is doing what he loves, when he is immersed in his world, among his people and competing to the very best of his abilities. He gave everything he had, walloping Hendricks with a stiff jab and a strong left hand, defending eight of 10 takedowns by the former NCAA champion and generally looking like the best version of himself we have ever seen in the cage.
It wasn’t enough. And that’s okay.
While some tried to shame him for losing steam in the closing minutes of the fifth and final round, Lawler had been clipped by a hard Hendricks left hand. Like many of the blows landed throughout the bout, a normal human would have met his maker, or at the very least the mat. Lawler survived. There’s no penitence required for that.
As is true with many of the greats, his fiercest critic was himself.
“I should’ve done more in the fight and thrown more punches, thrown more kicks and took him out,” Lawler said after the fight. “…I don’t know. It’s easy to look back now and look at the things you should’ve done. I didn’t do it tonight, and he fought a hell of a fight.”
The truth is, Robbie Lawler fought to the best of his abilities. That’s all we can ask for from an athlete. Every man has his physical and psychological limits—Lawler reached his and still finished second. There’s no shame in that.
We live in a weird time in sports. For the first time ever, the world is almost as focused on the physical price athletes pay to compete as they are on what happens on the field of play.
Long-term effects of contact sports have been a particular focus …
We live in a weird time in sports. For the first time ever, the world is almost as focused on the physical price athletes pay to compete as they are on what happens on the field of play.
Long-term effects of contact sports have been a particular focus in this modern era, and while American football is taking the brunt of the criticism, there are certainly those who aren’t shy about pointing out potential issues for combat athletes.
It’s a sentiment that’s grown so much in recent years that the UFC has partnered with several of its mortal enemies to fund a study on just how much brain trauma can be produced by a career specialized in face punching.
Now this is to say nothing of the free will of athletes and how that should be considered in this battle. No one is out there telling mixed martial artists that they need to fight for a living (most are college educated and could easily sit behind a desk for thirty years, where the headaches come from your boss instead of a man’s shin landing on your jaw) anymore than people are forcing football players to play or hockey enforcers to engage in bare-knuckle combat on the ice.
For that reason, those who deem themselves progressive, demanding scalps for athlete head injuries may want to pump the brakes and look at the basis of their argument. The thrust is absolutely in the right place, and they’re asking the right questions in an effort to improve life for those on the field, but they may not be approaching the problem holistically enough.
Then, in the midst of this debate, and with the winds of change a-swirlin’, an event like UFC 171 takes place and it makes everyone interested in this saga take note.
No, not because some blood was spilled and some dudes got roughed up in the Octagon. That’s pretty much a standard night in the UFC.
Not because only two fights ended by (T)KO, either. That’s only a means of finish, brain damage happens plenty in fights where no one gets stopped.
Not even because the event was seen by many as a success despite three-quarters of the fights ending via decision. Decisions can be as entertaining as fights being finished.
No, the reason to take note of UFC 171 is that it was headlined by the two heaviest punchers in the welterweight division, two men who stood toe-to-toe for 25 minutes and didn’t get knocked out. In fact, neither one was even knocked from his feet.
How is that possible?
Perhaps its possible because of the way those two men, Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler, approach their training.
Going into their meeting in Dallas, both men made statements that left many in the MMA community shocked: They don’t get seriously knocked around in training. In fact, Lawler doesn’t spar at all in his camps and Hendricks avoids absorbing head strikes at all costs.
Wait, what?
The two top dogs of the welterweight class, who have each made a career on a combined 26 (T)KOs in 38 wins and are among the most feared fighters in the sport while standing, don’t get battered in camp?
This was a story beneath a story going into the bout, one that people found interesting but that didn’t really resonate with the MMA community. Now, after the two stood in front of one another and took the best that the other could dish out, it’s perhaps more intriguing.
Said Hendricks to a media congregation during fight week:
Well, if you look at my training, if you see my helmet, it is like two inches thick… I got a big nose bar. And… I don’t take head shots. The reason why, is that you don’t get paid in the gym – you get training in the gym. I want to save them for in the Octagon, and I think that’s what helps me a lot, is don’t take them in there.
Every time you get rocked, it’s a little easier, and it’s a little easier, and it’s a little easier, and it’s a little easier. Look at a lot of guys that take punishment. They get dazed, and the next time it’s easier. And the next time it’s easier.
So I want to save all my… you know, I don’t know how many knockouts you get in your lifetime. I don’t know how many times you can get dazed in your lifetime.
But I want to save those for the important moments. And that’s in the Octagon.
Then, on Saturday night and with Lawler slinging the hottest of leathered heat at him in the cage, Hendricks stood up to it. There were times he almost dropped, but then he’d come back with something of his own and got back in the fight.
If he was through 10 weeks of gym wars leading up to the bout, perhaps starched by training partners a few times along the way, would that have happened?
For his part, Lawler ate the dreaded Hendricks left hand multiple times in his own right and did little to show it beyond grinning and returning fire. He hasn’t sparred since 2004.
“I didn’t spar for four or five years… I was still knocking a lot of people out. I felt like I already knew how to f–king fight, and now I had to get in shape. I didn’t want to do too much hard sparring,” he told Fight! Magazine in 2013.
Again, if he’d done a decade’s worth of hard sparring at American Top Team and Miletich Fighting Systems, killing or being killed against the monsters dwelling in those gyms, would he have had the capacity to survive Hendricks for five rounds?
The fact is that the UFC 171 main event was a good one by any metric, but it became an interesting one by this very specific metric: It may have shown the sport what evolution is required in camps to be great in the modern era.
It’s conceivable that the days of iron sharpening iron are dying or already dead, and two of the nastiest guys on the roster went out and made a strong case for that on Saturday night. Dana White has been decrying the training habits of mixed martial artists for years, perhaps selfishly, but this fight could very well have proven him right even if he’s right for the wrong reasons.
MMA is a contact sport, just as boxing and football and hockey and whatever other sports are currently under fire over the safety of its athletes. The nature of a contact sport is that there is an inherent risk to the body, one that the athletes accept when they engage in the activity.
But if the athlete decides to engage in that activity on his own terms, to manage the risk and the physicality in a way that allows him to protect himself and save his body for the time that the spotlight is on him and he’s earning his pay cheque, perhaps everyone can win.
Those worried about the safety of athletes are given not a safer sport per se, but rather a sport that is circumstantially safer through the approach of its athletes.
Those serving as promoters, presidents, commissioners or other figureheads have healthier, happier athletes who are providing better entertainment for a longer term due to better risk management. They also have less pressure from media and advocates fighting for safer sports.
Most importantly? The athletes win, and they win on their own terms. They’re protected, healthy and performing at the highest levels, and they get to do it mostly by their own rules.
Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler changed the face of the UFC welterweight division on Saturday night. Who knew, though, that they were blueprinting a change to contact sports as a whole in the 10 weeks that no one was watching them?
For years, Georges St-Pierre was the king of the welterweight mountain. Men came from all around to hit the scales on a Friday and then take their beating from him on a Saturday, which was often dished out with the help of judges and followed up by som…
For years, Georges St-Pierre was the king of the welterweight mountain. Men came from all around to hit the scales on a Friday and then take their beating from him on a Saturday, which was often dished out with the help of judges and followed up by some humble post-fight Frenglish.
It was a good era, one that people will tell their kids about for generations: This quiet Canadian mopped the floor with dudes of all shapes and sizes, all of whom were trying to varying degrees to troll or threaten him in some new way.
But the result was always the same, and it involved St-Pierre with his hand raised.
And now, if it’s over even for just a few months, there’s reason to enjoy the way the welterweight division looks in his absence.
At UFC 171, Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler slugged it out for the right to hold the title that GSP vacated, putting on a razor-thin scrap that blended the type of heart, technique and athleticism that people are dying for in modern MMA.
The two weren’t there to ride out a decision (even if that ended up being the end result). Instead, they were content to trade shots and see which man could survive five rounds. Both did, which is more a testament to their toughness than either man’s inability to finish.
They showed the world what can happen when a dominant, predictable champion is no longer in the picture.
Hendricks and Lawler provided a frenetic energy that had not been present in a St-Pierre fight for a long time. Instead of people asking, “Is this the guy to finally beat the champ,” they had room to appreciate the skill on display. The bout became far more about the title and the warriors trying to win it than it was about one man’s legacy and his relative invincibility.
That’s not to downplay GSP’s accomplishments or celebrate his exit from the sport. For far too long, people have been critical of the former champion’s unwillingness to engage in wild brawls for fan amusement. It’s easier to open his Wikipedia page and complain about the run of decisions than it is to break them down and ask why they’re happening, so that’s the road most people take.
However, decisions over Hendricks and Carlos Condit were among his most exciting performances, while decisions over Dan Hardy and Jon Fitch were delightful to watch because of the dominance on display.
Still, it was refreshing to see two 170-pounders who were willing to enter the Octagon and take a punch to give one in a fight that meant as much as one can in the UFC.
For too long, the buck stopped with GSP in the welterweight division. The ride was about a contender establishing himself, not about him rising to win a title, because no one could handle the champion. Furthermore, when a contender got the chance to prove otherwise, GSP would derail him in a very specific, largely uninteresting fashion.
Those days are gone, at least for now. With Hendricks holding gold and guys like Condit, Lawler and a possibly returning Nick Diaz nipping at his heels, to say nothing of interesting propositions like Hector Lombard and Tyron Woodley, the welterweight division is as interesting as ever, and the fights for the title are sure to be barnburners.
Smart won.
Heart won.
Johny Hendricks was at his best when his best was needed Saturday at UFC 171, turning away a strong second-half push from Robbie Lawler to claim the vacant welterweight title via unanimous decision.
Their instant-classic fight beg…
Smart won.
Heart won.
Johny Hendricks was at his best when his best was needed Saturday at UFC 171, turning away a strong second-half push from Robbie Lawler to claim the vacant welterweight title via unanimous decision.
Their instant-classic fight began the post-Georges St-Pierre era in style—with a visceral, five-round slugfest that at times seemed the antithesis of the slow-and-steady performances that had become the norm from the previous champion.
If there were any lingering questions about what the 170-pound class would look like with St-Pierre out on his self-imposed sabbatical, Hendricks and Lawler provided the answers.
Their back-and-forth scrap will surely be a Fight of the Year candidate and set up a litany of fresh storylines for Hendricks as he begins his reign as titlist.
In the end, though, one thing remained constant: The guy with the better game plan and more complete MMA arsenal walked out with the title.
“Realistically, I thought we were both going to knock each other out in the first or the second round,” Hendricks said at the post-fight press conference, via MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti. “I didn’t think we were going to go five. Definitely, as hard as he hit me in the third and fourth round, almost anybody else would’ve been out. For some reason I have a thick skull.”
Throughout his 17-fight professional career, Hendricks had established a reputation as an outstanding wrestler who could also throw bombs. Against Lawler, however, his ability to invoke a fully evolved stand-up attack proved to be the difference, duly erasing the memory of his bitter UFC 167 loss to St-Pierre last November.
He mixed fluid punching combinations with kicks and knees, adding in the odd takedown attempt to keep his opponent off-balance. It was the sort of showing that signaled the culmination of his journey from collegiate wrestler to mixed martial artist, and it was good enough to make him the first undisputed welterweight champion not named GSP since 2008.
By contrast, Lawler’s attack was far more one-dimensional, as he looked content merely to box through the first 10 minutes.
Perhaps it was that slow start that ultimately doomed the 31-year-old Iowa native. He looked serene and calm walking to the Octagon prior to the bout, as if certain his 13-year, 33-fight journey to a UFC title fight was about to pay off.
Through the first two rounds, though, Hendricks beat him to the punch, uncorking slick combinations in the middle of the cage and battering Lawler’s legs with knees when the two clinched against the fence.
Lawler did well to remain on his feet for the majority of the bout—and provided a few vintage “Ruthless Robbie” moments when he took Hendricks’ best shots and grinned back at him—but the early stanzas rightly went to Hendricks on most scorecards.
Lawler turned the tide in the third, putting Hendricks in serious trouble after landing a left hand midway through the frame. With a bit more urgency, he may have been able to finish the fight. Instead, he allowed Hendricks to creep back into contention and eventually take the victory on all three scorecards (48-47 x 3).
Hendricks recovered and rallied down the stretch. He got a stern lecture from cornerman Marc Laimon prior to the decisive fifth round and fought the final five minutes like a guy who had already been denied the championship in the cruelest fashion once before.
He left no doubt this time.
He once again reached into his striking toolbox to push an exhausted Lawler against the fence and settled things for good with a takedown in the final minute. With the two-time NCAA national wrestling champion on top of him as the last seconds ticked away, Lawler looked up at the clock and shook his head in frustration, knowing he had let this one get away.
“I’m just disappointed,” Lawler said, via Al-Shatti. “So close. It was a hell of a fight. It’s been a long road, a long journey, and I just didn’t see it going down this way.”
Johny Hendricks outlasted Robbie Lawler over five rounds Saturday night to win a unanimous decision and the welterweight title at UFC 171 in Dallas.
All three judges scored the bout 48-47 for Hendricks, who became the first new man to hold the belt in …
Johny Hendricks outlasted Robbie Lawler over five rounds Saturday night to win a unanimous decision and the welterweight title at UFC 171 in Dallas.
All three judges scored the bout 48-47 for Hendricks, who became the first new man to hold the belt in six years. Georges St-Pierre was the undisputed champion since 2008, but abruptly vacated the title and took an indefinite leave of absence from MMA in December.
The evenly matched contest saw both men give and take massive punishment. Hendricks and Lawler, who have a combined 26 career wins by knockout, set a record in the bout for significant strikes, according to UFC statistics provider FightMetric:
Johny Hendricks’ 158 significant strikes are the most ever landed in a UFC title fight; Lawler‘s 150 are 3rd most. #UFC171
The first two rounds appeared to favor Hendricks, who used a diversity of strikes and some clinch work to keep Lawler off balance. In the third and fourth rounds, Lawler came back behind his massive punching power, hurting Hendricks with a heavy jab and a barrage of uppercuts and overhands.
In the fifth and deciding round, both men were exhausted, with Hendricks being the man who dug a little deeper in the final minutes. A takedown against the fence with about 60 seconds remaining likely sealed the fight and the title for Hendricks.
In the post-fight press conference, Hendricks discussed his desire to give the bout his full effort:
“In the fifth round, I wanted to leave everything out there. 5 mins could change your world” –@JohnyHendricks#UFC171
No. 1-ranked Johny Hendricks and No. 3-ranked Robbie Lawler stepped inside the Octagon to battle it out for the vacant welterweight championship Saturday night in Dallas.
The fight did not disappoint. The two heavy-hitters stood in the pocket and excha…
No. 1-ranked Johny Hendricks and No. 3-ranked Robbie Lawler stepped inside the Octagon to battle it out for the vacant welterweight championship Saturday night in Dallas.
The fight did not disappoint. The two heavy-hitters stood in the pocket and exchanged blows round after round. It went the full 25 minutes, but there was not a dull moment in the fight. The Dallas crowd was treated to one of the best welterweight title fights in UFC history.
It was Hendricks who walked away with a narrow decision victory, and Twitter was quite active during the exciting bout. Here’s a look at some of the tweets that came across the wire.
Pre-fight
Round 1
Hendricks seemingly took Round 1, but it was a close round. Hendricks landed a bit more cleanly and was effective with low leg kicks. Lawler connected in his own right, but it was not enough to take the frame on the scorecards.
Round 2
Another close round, but this one was not as close as the first. Hendricks outpaced Lawler in the round. Neither fighter was throwing huge bombs in the fight, but they were supplying plenty of volume.
Round 3
Lawler started to take over the fight. He hurt Hendricks but was unable to finish him off. It was the first crystal-clear round. Hendricks slowed considerably, and Lawler took full advantage with a flurry of strikes. He was very close to capturing gold.
Round 4
Lawler kept up the pace in the fourth round. Hendricks did not seem like he was going to win the fight early on. He looked completely out of it. The No. 1-ranked welterweight rebounded late in the round and started to show signs of life once more. Lawler looked like the winner of the round, but Hendricks returned to earlier form.
Round 5
The deciding round, and Lawler hit a wall. Hendricks took advantage and hurt Lawler. He could not finish the veteran, but he was able to get the points. Hendricks took Lawler down to the floor to secure the round, and eventually the title.
Post-fight
A fantastic fight between two elite fighters. This is the standard we expect from title fights. They went after the gold and did not leave anything in the cage. What’s next? The UFC has plenty of options at its feet.
Regardless of who is next, Hendricks earned the title at UFC 171. A hard-fought victory. Here is to hoping Lawler returns, gets a win or two, and we can see this one again.
Robbie Lawler flashed his pearly whites throughout his UFC title fight with Johny Hendricks. All but forgotten, one foot out the door just two years ago after a loss to Lorenz Larkin in Strikeforce, Lawler had worked his way back into title contention.