(Pictured above: A semi-retired welterweight on a two fight losing streak who will not be featured in this column. Photo via Getty.)
There’s been a lot of talk about who the next #1 welterweight contender is following UFC 171, so much so that we have all but neglected to give the division’s new champ, Johny Hendricks, his due credit for outlasting Robbie Lawler in an absolute war to secure said title last Saturday. Some are saying that Tyron Woodley should get the next shot, regardless of the circumstances that led to his TKO win over Carlos Condit. Other, less creative individuals are calling for an immediate Hendricks/Lawler rematch, and a few loons out there are honestly, unbelievably, rallying to give Nick Diaz another completely unearned title shot. A blindly-devoted, if illogical bunch, us MMA fans oft are.
But one thing’s for the certain, the UFC’s welterweight division — and specifically, the claim of being the true #1 contender — is open for the taking once again. So to clear up any and all confusion regarding this talent-rich division, we’ve decided to definitively rank the top five contenders using only the power of Johny Vision™ (warning: may cause diarrhea, dip-spit mouth, and beard face).
Up until the point that Carlos Condit’s knee decided to implode against Tyron Woodley, well, he was losing his fight with Tyron Woodley. The notoriously slow starter was getting off second and failing to outmaneuver the quick hands of Woodley in most of their early exchanges and was taken down twice in the first round. But getting dominated? Hardly.
(Pictured above: A semi-retired welterweight on a two fight losing streak who will not be featured in this column. Photo via Getty.)
There’s been a lot of talk about who the next #1 welterweight contender is following UFC 171, so much so that we have all but neglected to give the division’s new champ, Johny Hendricks, his due credit for outlasting Robbie Lawler in an absolute war to secure said title last Saturday. Some are saying that Tyron Woodley should get the next shot, regardless of the circumstances that led to his TKO win over Carlos Condit. Other, less creative individuals are calling for an immediate Hendricks/Lawler rematch, and a few loons out there are honestly, unbelievably, rallying to give Nick Diaz another completely unearned title shot. A blindly-devoted, if illogical bunch, us MMA fans oft are.
But one thing’s for the certain, the UFC’s welterweight division — and specifically, the claim of being the true #1 contender — is open for the taking once again. So to clear up any and all confusion regarding this talent-rich division, we’ve decided to definitively rank the top five contenders using only the power of Johny Vision™ (warning: may cause diarrhea, dip-spit mouth, and beard face).
Up until the point that Carlos Condit’s knee decided to implode against Tyron Woodley, well, he was losing his fight with Tyron Woodley. The notoriously slow starter was getting off second and failing to outmaneuver the quick hands of Woodley in most of their early exchanges and was taken down twice in the first round. But getting dominated? Hardly.
When looking over the welterweight division’s list offighters, it would be hard to find more than a few guys who stand a chance of beating “The Natural Born Killer” on even his worst day. With wins over Rory MacDonald, Nick Diaz, Dong Hyun-Kim, and close losses to Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks, Condit still maintains his top five ranking despite dropping three of his past four fights. A crazy notion perhaps, but a fair one when discussing a perennial upper-echelon contender like Condit. And honestly, we’d still pick a healthy Carlos over a couple of the guys we are about to rank ahead of him.
The fact is, a win over Jake Shields — no matter how ineffective or exhausted or truly garbage-ass he looked — is a win worthy of consideration. Few of us could say that we saw Lombard heading for anything but “Biggest UFC Busts” territory after his first three fights — a pair of unforgettable in their terribleness decision losses to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami sandwiched around a first round KO over Rousimar Palhares. And while it’s true that Lombard is still struggling to find consistency in the excitement department since dropping to welterweight, he surely isn’t having any trouble in the win department.
After starching Nate Marquardt at UFC 166, Lombard looked as if he was destined for another first round knockout against Shields last weekend. He had bloodied up the former title challenger inside of two minutes, had defended all of his takedowns, and had even landed a beautiful judo toss of his own. It was absolute dominance; perhaps the best round Lombard has had in the UFC (that didn’t result in a finish).
But then, he just kind of coasted. He played it safe. For a man that is known as such a mean SOB even among MMA fighters, Lombard seemed all too willing to turn on the autopilot for two rounds. Unfortunately, we were all too busy criticizing Lombard to recognize that he had made quite a definitive statement with his performance, lackluster though it may have been. Let me ask you this: Aside from GSP, who has ever dominated Jake Shields on the ground like that? Demian Maia couldn’t. Tyron Woodley sure as hell couldn’t. But Hector Lombard did, and with ease.
Title-ready Lombard may not be, but worthy of consideration? Surely.
This ranking seems fairly obvious. MacDonald is currently riding a winning streak of one fight, but arguably holds more notable UFC wins than anyone on this list: Maia, Ellenberger, Penn, Nate Diaz, etc. His only loss in the past three years came via a split decision loss to the guy who just narrowly lost a title bid last weekend, so where else should he belong? We say match him up with Lombard next and have Dana White declare it a kinda-sorta-maybe #1 contender fight (a.k.a “not a #1 contender fight”) in a half-hearted attempt to generate interest. Fuck yeah, world domination!
Despite the fact that he shredded his opponents knee with a takedown/leg kick combo last weekend, Tyron Woodley might have had the worst luck of them all at UFC 171. His win over Condit has already been all but declared as a push in fan’s eyes — a freak accident on par with Anderson Silva’s leg break, to speak in forced comparisons — regardless of the fact that he was taking it to Condit in seven minutes prior.
That said, Woodley has now won three out of his past four fights, over Jay Hieron (heh), Josh Koscheck (in his second straight KO loss and third straight overall), and Carlos Condit via injury. Throw in Woodley’s relatively reserved persona and you don’t exactly end up with the ingredients for a monster pay-per-view. And that is perhaps the most important factor in these post-Sonnen vs. Jones times.
Again, this seems relatively simple. Lawler holds wins over the #3 guy (according to the recently-established mother of all welterweight rankings) and a former title challenger in Koscheck (his first to come by KO since 2009), and lost a fight with Hendricks that was essentially decided by one takedown in the final minute of the fifth round. Until someone proves us otherwise, Lawler is still the guy to beat at 170 lbs.
Does that mean he should receive an immediate rematch with Hendricks? God no. But matching Lawler up with Woodley next and giving the winner a title shot makes a ton of sense to us. As with Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jon Jones, pairing each fighter up with a worthy opponent instead of immediately rematching them gives the potential rematch some time to simmer (if all goes according to plan) while playing against the idea that the UFC has become a heartless, money-grubbing corporation that hands out title shots regardless of merit or even logical deduction. Everybody wins, you guys!
Tyron Woodley makes the most sense from a time-sensitive standpoint, yes, but there’s no need to rush the newly-crowned champion into another fight before he can even start to build his brand as champion. And in a welterweight division that is still relying on GSP and Nick Diaz to generate interest, Johny Hendricks is a good a star as any.
Of course, this can only mean that Lawler vs. Diaz II has already been booked with a title shot on the line, and we’ve simply yet to hear word of it. And to be completely honest, we’d watch that fight. We’d watch the sh*t out of it.
Though the exact condition of Condit’s knee won’t be known until he undergoes an MRI, MMAJunkie passes along word that the welterweight contender suffered a small meniscus tear and possibly a torn ACL, according to the initial diagnosis given to him at a local hospital following the fight. His recovery timetable is uncertain at this point; we’ll update you as soon as we know more.
After the jump: Highlights from the Condit vs. Woodley fight, and Woodley’s post-fight interview, in which he respectfully requests a title shot.
(I like the genuine look of concern on Woodley’s face. I mean, two seconds ago he was trying to tear Condit’s limbs off, but still. / Photo via Getty)
Though the exact condition of Condit’s knee won’t be known until he undergoes an MRI, MMAJunkie passes along word that the welterweight contender suffered a small meniscus tear and possibly a torn ACL, according to the initial diagnosis given to him at a local hospital following the fight. His recovery timetable is uncertain at this point; we’ll update you as soon as we know more.
After the jump: Highlights from the Condit vs. Woodley fight, and Woodley’s post-fight interview, in which he respectfully requests a title shot.
At UFC 171, Johny Hendricks decisioned Robbie Lawler
in one of the greatest fights in recent memory. The two men traded punches, bled, and even smiled during their 25-minute brawl that saw Hendricks leave Dallas as the UFC welterweight champion…but nobody really cares about that.
The “morning after” discourse isn’t about Hendricks overcoming a perilous weight cut or about the implications of Hendricks being the first champ of the post-GSP era. It’s about two stars of a bygone era—Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre.
At UFC 171, Johny Hendricks fought Robbie Lawler in what became an instant classic. The two men traded scores of punches, bled, and even smiled during their 25-minute brawl that saw Hendricks leave Dallas as the UFC welterweight champion…but nobody really cares about that.
The “morning after” discourse isn’t about Hendricks overcoming a perilous weight cut or about the implications of Hendricks being the first champ of the post-GSP era. It’s about two stars of a bygone era—Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre.
“[The UFC] bought me a ticket, for once, they bought me an actual ticket…Maybe they want me to fight Johny Hendricks! Take an ass-whooping right to your face, bro…I’m ready to fight. I’m ready to fight the right fight…I need a title fight. I need a real fight. Give the fans what they wanna see. That’s why I’m here.”
To an extent, it’s understandable why people aren’t pouring paragraphs of praise on Hendricks; he’s mild-mannered. Even his call-out of GSP was tame. And his views on star power are problematic for an organization reeling after the loss of its biggest names.
“I think you can let your fighting [talk],” Hendricks said in response to Diaz claiming he was the only draw in the division. “I think this is what’s gonna do real good for our weight class—let the fighting do everything.”
That’s certainly an admirable way to look at combat sports, but it isn’t true. To quote The Simpsons, “Every good scientist is half B.F. Skinner and half P.T. Barnum.” Just so, every fighter needs to be half Georges St-Pierre and half Chael Sonnen. It has been proven time and timeagain that emotional investment generates PPV buys. “These two fighters really hate each other” sells well, even if it’s not the truth. “I respect him; he’s a great opponent” always fails to move the needle, as factual as it might be. In that regard, not pushing Hendricks in articles is forgivable. His behavior and words won’t garner page views and aren’t conducive to strong post-fight narratives.
Dana White is also partially responsible for the lack of hype because he was mum regarding the future of welterweight. What can the media write about other than Diaz vs. Hendricks if the boss shrugs his shoulders at a division teeming with contenders? Another issue is that the would-be challengers, in the minds of some, didn’t look wholly impressive. Tyron Woodley defeated Carlos Condit due to a “freak injury” and Hector Lombard bested Jake Shields but many felt the fight was lackluster. Diaz, despite having not fought in a year and being on a two-fight losing streak, somehow came out of UFC 171 looking like the most impressive welterweight.
UFC 171 was a spectacular event, but the fallout was anything but. Perhaps some part of the blame for the UFC’s inability to create stars falls on our shoulders, since when we have a chance to try and build a new star, we ignore him and bellow smoke into old ones, just so their waning flames might linger a little while longer.
Anyway, that doesn’t mean UFC 171 won’t be fun to watch, because honestly, this is a talent-rich card with some very competitive match-ups. In the main event, Johny Hendricks and (incredibly) Robbie Lawler will fight for the UFC’s vacant welterweight title, while a quartet of other 170-pounders (Condit, Woodley, Shields, Lombard) jockey for their place in the divisional pecking order. Plus: The always-entertaining Diego Sanchez will shed some more brain cells in a scrap with the undefeated Myles Jury.
Live UFC 171 results will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for extra analysis and updates. And as always, thanks for being here.
Anyway, that doesn’t mean UFC 171 won’t be fun to watch, because honestly, this is a talent-rich card with some very competitive match-ups. In the main event, Johny Hendricks and (incredibly) Robbie Lawler will fight for the UFC’s vacant welterweight title, while a quartet of other 170-pounders (Condit, Woodley, Shields, Lombard) jockey for their place in the divisional pecking order. Plus: The always-entertaining Diego Sanchez will shed some more brain cells in a scrap with the undefeated Myles Jury.
Live UFC 171 results will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for extra analysis and updates. And as always, thanks for being here.
UFC 171 Prelim Results
– Kelvin Gastelum def. Rick Story via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27).
– Jessica Andrade def. Raquel Pennington via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Dennis Bermudez def. Jimy Hettes via TKO, 2:57 of round 3
– Alex Garcia def. Sean Spencer via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
– Frank Trevino def. Renee Forte via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Justin Scoggins def. Will Campuzano via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Sean Strickland def. Robert “Bubba” McDaniel via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:33 of round 1
– Robert Whiteford def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
Round 1: After some feeling-out, OSP lands a body kick and goes right into a successful takedown. Very slick. OSP in side control but Krylov locking his head down, trying one of those one-arm guillotines from the bottom that never ever work. So, St. Preux sets up a Von Flue choke, putting his shoulder on Krylov’s neck and squeezing it together with his free arm. Krylov goes limp and referee Dan Miragliotta jumps in. Ovince St. Preux def. Nikita Krylov via submission (Von Flue choke), 1:29 of round 1.
Jake Shields vs. Hector Lombard
Round 1: Lombard takes the center of the cage, swings his way into a clinch, and dumps Shields on his ass. Shields gets up. Lombard lands hard and Shields falls to the mat. He ain’t following Shields down there, though. Shields gets up, Lombard lands hard. This really isn’t going well for Jake. Shields shoots and Lombard sees it coming, easily defending. They clinch agains the mat. Nice dirty boxing from Lombard and Shields scampers away. Shields shoots from a mile away and fails. Lombard abuses Shields with more punches. Shields is bleeding badly from near his left eye. Shields shoots, Lombard assaults him with punches and a kick, bashing Shields to the mat and getting on top. Shields trying to box Lombard off his back. The referee is getting impatient, saying “c’mon guys” over and over again even though both guys are staying active. Shields locks Lombard down in the last ten seconds, and survives to the second round. 10-9 Lombard, easy.
Round 2: Shields with an inside leg kick. Then he goes high. Lombard comes in slugging, but doesn’t land anything cleanly. Lombard fires a few more punches to get Shields covering up, then trips him to the mat again. Shields establishes full guard. Lombard doing very little from the top, partly due to Shields controlling his position. The ref breaks ‘em. Lombard might be slowing down. He’s flat footed right now, and the ref warms them for not engaging on the feet. They lock lead-hands in a pro-wrestling style test of strength. Shields shoots, Lombard sprawls. Shields throws an upkick and gets to his feet. Body kick Shields. Lombard lands a short left when Shields rushes in, then flips Shields to the mat again. The ref immediately says “c’mon guys.” Man, fuck that guy. Lombard in Shields’s guard. That’s the round. I’d give it to Lombard 10-9, but it was much closer than the first.
Round 3: Shields goes high with a kick. He tries it again, Lombard catches it and swings a big counterpunch. Lombard front-kicks Shields in the balls and gets warned for it. Shields goes back in pretty quickly, tries for a takedown, and gets reversed by Lombard, who gets on top of him once more. Lombard tries some actual ground-and-pound for a change, but it doesn’t last long. The ref stands them up. Shields shoots, Lombard sprawls right on top of him. Shields’s face is a bloody mess. Shields throwing some very ineffective strikes from the bottom. Lombard seems content to ride out the round on top of Shields. The ref stands them up again. Joe Rogan is burying Lombard’d performance, saying he’s “doing just enough to win.” In the waning seconds of the fight, Shields goes for a guillotine after Lombard tries for a takedown and it actually looks really tight, but the clock runs out.
Hector Lombard def. Jake Shields via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28). “Somebody gave Lombard the last round just because of that guillotine,” Rogan says.
Diego Sanchez vs. Myles Jury
This might the first time I’ve actually seen Myles Jury. They say he’s undefeated in the UFC, but shit, I wouldn’t know. Sanchez’s nose looks like it’s still broken from his fight against Melendez. He’s wearing a mohawk in the classic crazy-guy style.
Round 1: Both guys throwing at air for a while. Sanchez tries a spinning side kick and Jury nails him with a counterpunch. Sanchez backs up then starts giving Jury the “come on!” hand gesture. Jury tries a head kick. Sanchez barrels in with punches and lands one clean. They clinch on the fence. Sanchez looks to set up a takedown, but Jury spins out and escapes. Jury with a body kick, Sanchez returns fire. Jury catches a kick from Sanchez. Leg kick from Jury lands clean. Sanchez wades in brawling and Jury has to retreat. Jumping front kick from Sanchez, and a body kick that lands. Jury lands a punch that briefly wobbles Sanchez. He goes for the head kick, then tags Sanchez with a right hand. Jury scores a takedown in the last 30 seconds and drops a bomb from above. Sanchez threatens with a leg lock and Jury has to stop attacking and defend it. The round ends. Probably 10-9 Jury.
Round 2: Leg kick Jury. Sharp body kick from Sanchez. Sanchez swings wildly, and Jury has to get the eff out of dodge. Jury lands a monster overhand right that wobbles Sanchez, who grabs his eye in pain and surprise. Sanchez’s left eye is gashed. But Sanchez lands hard on Jury in a striking combo. Jury pops an uppercut when Sanchez is coming in, and ducks away. Jury sticks the jab. Sanchez’s face is looking rough. Sanchez lands a hard body kick. Sanchez lands a hard right hook as Jury shoots for a takedown, successfully. Sanchez grabs an arm-in guillotine. It looks tight, but Jury gives the ref a thumbs-up. Sanchez eventually has to let it go and they’re soon back on their feet. Jury lands a punch, Sanchez throws back. That’s the round.
Round 3: Jury jabbing. Then a leg kick. Sanchez tries a jumping front kick. Sanchez runs forward charging in with punches, as he likes to do. Head kick Jury. Sanchez fires another series of punches but can’t land much. Body kick Sanchez. And a leg kick. Sanchez fires to the body. Jury is doing a lot of avoiding at this point. He lands a counter-punch and slips out of the way. Nice flying knee from Jury nails Sanchez in the face. Jury takes Sanchez to the mat. Sanchez punches him off and lands a couple of upkicks to Jury’s body. They scrap on the mat and Sanchez attempts another guillotine as time runs out.
Myles Jury def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28). Joe Rogan asks Jury if anything surprised him about fighting Diego Sanchez, and he says, “not to sound cocky, but it surprised me how easy I beat him.” Wow. Kind of a dick move, bro.
Carlos Condit vs. Tyron Woodley
Round 1: Woodley lands a nasty straight right and Condit is back on his heels already. Woodley does it again. He storms Condit with a flurry of strikes. Condit throws a side kick and Woodley smacks him again. They clinch against the fence, and Woodley lands a sharp elbow. They trade knees. Woodley slips in an uppercut. They separate. Condit fires some kicks that miss but lands a nice left hand. Condit shoots forward with a superman punch, and Woodley grabs him and deposits him on the mat. Condit working some high guard and threatens with a triangle. Woodley picks him up and tosses him to get out of it. Condit gets to his feet. Woodley ducks under a high kick and takes Condit to the mat again. Condit is up. Woodley lands a spinning elbow as Condit rushes in, but Condit attacks to the bell. Good round; I’d give it to Woodley 10-9.
Round 2: Leg kick Condit. Then high kicks with both legs. Woodley brushes Condit back with a big right hand. Woodley blasts forward and gets a takedown. Condit grimaces; he might have gotten injured on the way down. Woodley in Condit’s guard. The ref stands them up after a brief stalemate. Woodley lands a nasty leg kick, Condit spins around and goes down holding his right knee. The fight is over. Tyron Woodley def. Carlos Condit via TKO, 2:00 of round 2. Woodley makes his case for a title shot. In the replay, you can see that Woodley connected with Condit’s left knee, but Condit’s right knee visibly collapsed while he was spinning around on it. Pretty nasty. Condit might be gone for a while.
Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
Lawler made his MMA debut three months after George W. Bush’s first inauguration. And here he is. It’s rare you get to see a man’s final shot at greatness, but this is probably it.
Round 1: Sharp leg kick from Hendricks to start. Lawler swarms and lands a bunch of hard punches. Hendricks fires his left hand from long distance. Lawler lands an uppercut as Hendricks charges in. They clinch against the fence. Hendricks disengages. Again, Hendricks shoots in and Lawler bashes him with an uppercut, then a couple more strikes before they separate. Hendricks lands another nice leg kick. And one to the inside. A 1-2 from Hendricks lands. Lawler lads a right hook as Hendricks advances. Hendricks throws his left hand, a leg kick, and shoots in. Dirty boxing from Hendricks against the fence. Hendricks works some knees to the thighs as the round ends. Hard to score…I’d give it to Lawler for landing the harder shots.
Round 2: Lawler with a left hand, and another. His leg is swelling up from Hendricks’s kicks, though. Lawler lands again. Hendricks storms forward, brawling at Lawler. He lands a punishing leg kick. Hendricks pawing with the jab. Hendricks lands punches, a knee, more punches, and finishes with a leg kick. More punches from Hendricks. He’s really turning it on now. Lawler lands a left. Hendricks throws punches to get inside and finishes with a hard inside leg kick. But Lawler catches Hendricks with a stiff punch. Leg kick Hendricks, left hand from Lawler. Knee and punch from Hendricks. Lawler ambling toward Hendricks, and Hendricks is pot-shotting him at will. They start slugging at close range. Lawler lands a head kick, but Hendricks returns with more punches. Lawler doesn’t know anything other than go forward, and it’s not working out for him tonight. Clear 10-9 for Hendricks.
Round 3: Lawler lands a leg kick of his own. But Hendricks returns it. A knee to the dome from Hendricks, a leg kick from Lawler. Lawler just stealing Hendricks’s gameplan now. But Hendricks lands a long series of punches and knees. Left hand from Hendricks lands. They trade hooks. Lawler staggers Hendricks with a punch, and pursues, smelling blood. Lawler landing some nasty shots, and Hendricks is wobbly but somehow he’s staying on his feet. Lawler chasing him around the cage landing shot after shot. Hendricks shoots for a desperation takedown, but Lawler defends it. Still, Hendricks gets a moment to clear the cobwebs, and he’s back to landing punches of his own. Knee and punches from Hendricks. Hendricks pops some jabs to the bell. What a crazy round. Both of these guys have iron chins.
Round 4: Lawler remains the aggressor, marching forward and landing punch after punch. Hendricks lands his leg kick again but Lawler appears unfazed and goes back to landing power shots. Hendricks shoots and is stuffed. His face is badly bloodied, due to a cut near his right eye. Lawler pops a jab, follows with a hook. Hendricks lands a pair of left hands. Lawler with a hook. He jacks Hendricks’s head back with an uppercut, but Hendricks fires right back. Lawler with a jab. Lawler lands a hook as Hendricks is throwing. Lawler landing that jab again. Leg kick from Hendricks lands. Hendricks shoots and lands a takedown. The round ends.
“YOU HAVE TO WIN THIS ROUND RIGHT FUCKIN’ NOW!!” Marc Laimon screams at Hendricks.
Round 5: Lawler with a big left hand. Hendricks is trying to keep the pressure on Lawler, stalking him around the cage. Hendricks shoots, Lawler defends. Hendricks with some knees to Lawler’s leg from a clinch against the fence. The ref breaks them. Lawler jabs. A punch and hard leg kick from Hendricks. And again. Hook/cross from Lawler. More punches from Lawler wobble Hendricks, but Hendricks lands some hard shots of his own, and Lawler stumbles back. Hendricks with an uppercut, followed by more punches. Two big punches and a leg kick from Hendricks. Hendricks shoots for the takedown and gets it. Lawler looks annoyed. Hendricks throws in some punches to Lawler’s head against the fence, and the round ends.
Johny Hendricks def. Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision (48-47 x 3). Hendricks is the new UFC welterweight champion, and he and his cornermen absolutely lose their shit in the cage. “Robbie’s fuckin’ tough,” Hendricks tells Joe Rogan. “God dang.” Hendricks thanks the fans, his wife, his daughters, his team. He says he knows he’ll face Lawler again. Great fight.
Live from the South Side Ballroom at Gilley’s Dallas in Texas, all 26 fighters competing on tomorrow’s UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler card are hitting the scales today starting at 5 p.m. EST. Will Diego Sanchez cartwheel his way to the stage? Will Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler have a good old fashioned dip spit-off? Only one way to find out, Nation.
Update: Well that was nerve-wracking. Check out the full results after the jump, including three fighters who missed weight on their first attempts.
Live from the South Side Ballroom at Gilley’s Dallas in Texas, all 26 fighters competing on tomorrow’s UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler card are hitting the scales today starting at 5 p.m. EST. Will Diego Sanchez cartwheel his way to the stage? Will Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler have a good old fashioned dip spit-off? Only one way to find out, Nation.
Update: Well that was nerve-wracking. Check out the full results after the jump, including three fighters who missed weight on their first attempts.
Main Card (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
-Johny Hendricks (170*) vs. Robbie Lawler (170)
-Carlos Condit (170.5) vs. Tyron Woodley (170)
-Myles Jury (156) vs. Diego Sanchez (155)
-Hector Lombard (170) vs. Jake Shields (171)
-Nikita Krylov (205) vs. Ovince St. Preux (205)
Prelim Card (FOX Sports 2, 8 p.m. ET)
-Kelvin Gastelum (171**) vs. Rick Story (170.5)
-Jessica Andrade (135) vs. Raquel Pennington (135.5)
-Dennis Bermudez (146) vs. Jimy Hettes (145.5)
-Alex Garcia (170.5) vs. Sean Spencer (170)
Prelim Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)
-Renee Forte (157***) vs. Frank Trevino (155)
-Will Campuzano (125.5) vs. Justin Scoggins (125)
-Robert McDaniel (184.5) vs. Sean Strickland (185)
-Daniel Pineda (145) vs. Robert Whiteford (145)
* Hendricks initially weighed in at 171.5, but hit the welterweight limit when he weighed in again two hours later — which is a good thing because it would have been a total clusterfuck if he didn’t.
Someone is getting put to sleep at UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler this weekend. It’s a fact. With 26 knockouts between the main eventers alone, I will reiterate: Peoples is getting put to sleep at UFC 171. And for the first time since UFC 168, those peoples won’t be the audience (*swishes three-pointer*)
Aside from providing some prime opportunities for fans to witness a highlight reel knockout, UFC 171 is also a gambler’s paradise, so join us after the jump for a look at all the UFC 171 betting lines (courtesy of BestFightOdds) and our time-tested advice.
Stay the Hell Away From:
Raquel Pennington (+220) vs. Jessica Andrade (-280)
Andrade as a -280 with a loss to Liz Carmouche and a decision win against 36 year old veteran Rosi Sexton inside the Octagon is rather steep. Jessica may be the better fighter on paper, but it is hard to gauge the improvements made by Raquel since her decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi. Dana had implored Raquel to “let your hands go” during the TUF 18 season, seemingly underlining unrealised potential in the 25 year old Colorado Springs native. Will Raquel come out striking and use her size advantage to control Jessica, or will Andrade find a way to push the ground attack and control the fight on the mat? Too hard to tell from here, best to pass over and simply enjoy.
By Dan George
Someone is getting put to sleep at UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler this weekend. It’s a fact. With 26 knockouts between the main eventers alone, I will reiterate: Peoples is getting put to sleep at UFC 171. And for the first time since UFC 168, those peoples won’t be the audience (*swishes three-pointer*)
Aside from providing some prime opportunities for fans to witness a highlight reel knockout, UFC 171 is also a gambler’s paradise, so join us after the jump for a look at all the UFC 171 betting lines (courtesy of BestFightOdds) and our time-tested advice.
Stay the Hell Away From:
Raquel Pennington (+220) vs. Jessica Andrade (-280)
Andrade as a -280 favorite with a loss to Liz Carmouche and a decision win against 36 year old veteran Rosi Sexton inside the Octagon is rather steep. Jessica may be the better fighter on paper, but it is hard to gauge the improvements made by Raquel since her decision victory over Roxanne Modafferi. Dana had implored Raquel to “let your hands go” during the TUF 18 season, seemingly underlining unrealised potential in the 25 year old Colorado Springs native. Will Raquel come out striking and use her size advantage to control Jessica, or will Andrade find a way to push the ground attack and control the fight on the mat? Too hard to tell from here, best to pass over and simply enjoy.
In his last three outings, Bermudez has won via back-to-back split decisions and a unanimous decision, respectively, yet still comes in as a better than 2 to 1 favorite to walk away with a win against grappling ace Jimy Hettes. Looking at the three straight first round losses via submission on Bermudez’s record, coupled with Jimy’s 10 submission victories in 12 career fights, the scales begin to lead towards an upset victory for Hettes. Bermudez holds a decided striking advantage and most likely will try to keep this fight standing, but as seen in the past, Bermudez may over commit and follow the fight to the ground where he falls into Jimy’s wheelhouse.
On the side of Hettes, if he can emulate his fight with Nam Phan and stick to Bermudez, there is a great chance that as the fight goes on Hettes finds a way to either submit Dennis or steal enough rounds to pull off a decision victory here.
This will be Jake’s third consecutive outing as the underdog and for the third straight time he will look to reward those who believe he can pull off the upset win. Lombard is most likely being looked at through the Jake Ellenberger lens, meaning he is favored to stop Shields takedowns early and use his decided striking advantage to put the former Strikeforce champion away. While Lombard has returned to welterweight and still has plenty of punching power, what is less clear is whether or not he still has sufficient strength in the grappling department to deal with a guy like Shields if the fight does go to the ground.
Demian Maia found out the hard way that Shields has an incredible ground game and in the event this fight does go to the ground, this is where Jake can cash big.
Too hard to pass over Sanchez as an underdog against a rising undefeated prospect who has had Michael Johnson as his toughest test thus far inside the Octagon. Diego is notoriously hard to finish and tends to catch the eye of the judges more often than not with his unique style of fighting, which is something Jury has yet to experience inside the Octagon. Jury may very well find his range and keep Diego at bay, but the high probability this fight goes to decision will give Diego the time to perhaps get inside and pressure Jury in a way that could force the usual wild brawl Sanchez tends to thrive in.
Johny is the right favorite but is way overpriced when looking into this fight and where the potential advantages are for Robbie Lawler. Both men are southpaws and it is Lawler who is 2” taller and will have a 3” reach advantage, possibly gaining a small edge in the stand up department. This seemingly small edge is only amplified when underlining how heavy both fighter’s hands are coupled with their willingness to keep the fight standing. Johny will most likely be the one to initiate the takedown, but Lawler showed in his bout with Koscheck that he can effectively use his butterfly guard to get back up and fight where he is strongest.
Robbie’s record at Welterweight is 11-2, with one loss coming via injury (hip dislocation) to Pete Spratt and of course the only KO loss of his career to Nick Diaz, not once has he been a victim of being out grappled like he was at 185lbs. With this in mind, if the fight stays standing, taking Robbie at 3 times your bet could be the best good dog pick of 2014.
Krylov certainly looked night and day from his debut against Soa Palelei with a stunning KO victory over Walt Harris in his last outing in the Octagon. Krylov will be making his Light Heavyweight debut this time around and it will be as a replacement for Thiago Silva (who’s kind of a shitty person and is no longer welcome in the UFC) on short notice. OSP has the benefit of a full camp and should be able to use some GnP to fend off the submission specialist Nikita while maintaining control on top either pulling off the decision victory or even stopping Krylov due to strikes.
Tyron Woodley is looking to jump into the Welterweight top ten rankings in a big way by taking on the UFC #2 ranked Welterweight Carlos Condit. Many like Woodley to use his wrestling pedigree to exploit Condit in this fight and grind out a win, as we have seen both Condit become a victim of this as well as Woodley often come out the victor while employing this style of attack against his opponents. Condit has shown some improvements in his ground game, notably being able to stand up after being taken down by Johny Hendricks several times in their razor close affair back at UFC 158. Condit’s advantage in the stand for this fight could be the difference if he is able to use leg kicks to keep Woodley off balance and unable to drive forward for takedowns.
Condit is yet to be KO’d and Woodley is not the best striker he has faced, not by a long shot — Woodley will most likely have to stick to a one dimensional approach of going for the takedown, something Condit may be more than ready for considering his losses to GSP and Hendricks previously. Carlos is coming off an ultra impressive FOTN KO of Martin Kampmann and seems to have enough tools in his belt to ensure he is next in line for a title shot at 170lbs.
