Tag: UFC 167

Dana White Eyeing Lyoto Machida vs. Vitor Belfort Middleweight Fight at UFC 167


(“Alright, enough horsing around. Your mother spent all day making this stew and I’ll be damned if we’re not going to eat it.”) 

Times have been tough for Lyoto Machida since the era bearing his name came to a screeching halt at UFC 113. The once seemingly invincible/untouchable Brazilian has dropped 4 of his past 7 fights, including a split decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163 that sucked as much as we all knew it would. The fact that “The Dragon” has been forced to drink the urine of complete strangers just to survive says more about his dire situation than anything else, really.

On the other side of the coin, fellow Brazilian and occasional training partner of Machida, Vitor Belfort, has seen a career resurgence as of late, knocking out Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold in back-to-back contests. And while it’s rare to see a fighter coming off a loss paired against one coming off a win, that’s exactly what Dana White has in mind. The Baldfather recently told Ariel Helwani, who in turn relayed the message on MMA Tonight, that he “loved” the idea of seeing a Machida vs. Belfort co-main event at UFC 167, which goes down in Vegas on November 16th. Here’s the catch: The fight would be held at middleweight.

Given Belfort’s recent refusal to fight anyone (looking at you, Tim) at 185 unless it’s for a title shot, this seems like wishful thinking on White’s part. There’s also the fact that Lyoto has never fought below 205, although he has stated in the past that he would be willing to make the cut for the right fight. On top of all that, Belfort has already called out Chael Sonnen and would stand next to no chance of getting licensed in Vegas with a TRT exemption. So yeah, expect Belfort to shoot this matchup down any. second. now.


(“Alright, enough horsing around. Your mother spent all day making this stew and I’ll be damned if we’re not going to eat it.”) 

Times have been tough for Lyoto Machida since the era bearing his name came to a screeching halt at UFC 113. The once seemingly invincible/untouchable Brazilian has dropped 4 of his past 7 fights, including a split decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163 that sucked as much as we all knew it would. The fact that “The Dragon” has been forced to drink the urine of complete strangers just to survive says more about his dire situation than anything else, really.

On the other side of the coin, fellow Brazilian and occasional training partner of Machida, Vitor Belfort, has seen a career resurgence as of late, knocking out Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold in back-to-back contests. And while it’s rare to see a fighter coming off a loss paired against one coming off a win, that’s exactly what Dana White has in mind. The Baldfather recently told Ariel Helwani, who in turn relayed the message on MMA Tonight, that he “loved” the idea of seeing a Machida vs. Belfort co-main event at UFC 167, which goes down in Vegas on November 16th. Here’s the catch: The fight would be held at middleweight.

Given Belfort’s recent refusal to fight anyone (looking at you, Tim) at 185 unless it’s for a title shot, this seems like wishful thinking on White’s part. There’s also the fact that Lyoto has never fought below 205, although he has stated in the past that he would be willing to make the cut for the right fight. On top of all that, Belfort has already called out Chael Sonnen and would stand next to no chance of getting licensed in Vegas with a TRT exemption. So yeah, expect Belfort to shoot this matchup down any. second. now.

Then again, Combate is reporting that Belfort vs. Machida could be in the works for the November 9th-scheduled “Fight Night 26″ card in Brazil, so who the f*ck really knows.

If there was ever a time for Machida to drop a weight class to save his career, it’s now. But what do you think, Potato Nation? Would you like to see Belfort vs. Machida at 185? 190? Franklinweight? Or should Belfort just continue pissing off Dana White for the sake of our amusement?

–J. Jones

Georges St-Pierre Offers to Pay for VADA Testing for Himself and Johny Hendricks

The UFC’s welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, is going further than anyone in MMA has ever gone in proving to the world that he is a drug-free athlete.
After going on record that he would like himself and his upcoming opponent, Johny Hendri…

The UFC’s welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, is going further than anyone in MMA has ever gone in proving to the world that he is a drug-free athlete.

After going on record that he would like himself and his upcoming opponent, Johny Hendricks, to undergo the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency’s procedures for testing athletes for drugs, he now says he will gladly pay for the tests for both of them.

In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti, GSP said:

I’m ready to pay [for our testing] myself, because I’m the champion. All from my purse, I paid for the tests because I’m the champion. That’s why I’m ready, I’m ready to do it. That’s a point I want to make.

I wouldn’t mind doing it for the rest of my career. Of course it sucks. They can come anytime, you have to give your address and then [VADA representatives come] in the morning. It sucks. But it’s my sport and it could be an inconvenience of my job, I’ll do it no problem.

The vehemence with which he’s out to prove that he’s a clean athlete makes you wonder whether the lady doth protest too much. Certainly, he’s been facing accusations of cheating throughout his career, as well as having a penchant for bending the rules (note “greasegate”).

Perhaps it was this talk, as well as the incessant accusations from his last opponent, Nick Diaz, that he uses steroids, that finally got to him.

In any case, Hendricks has enthusiastically agreed to the VADA testing, which will follow the same protocol as set out by the World Anti-Doping Agency—that is comprehensive unannounced tests during the months of training leading up to a contest as well as immediately after.

VADA was created specifically to help clean up the sports of boxing and mixed martial arts, which are independently regulated both by the promotions which make their money off the fighters as well as state regulators.

The organisation hopes to plug the gap in drug testing due to the pitiful inadequacy of the many athletic commissions that currently oversee combat sports. These commissions lack the money and the resources to perform the full range of tests on every fighter and usually only test the week before and immediately after a contest.

That can potentially allow fighters to use performance-enhancing drugs for their entire training camp but still test clean on fight night.

In the past, fighters such as Ben Askren, Roy Nelson and B.J. Penn have successfully completed VADA testing.

GSP will be hoping that he too can join their ranks and prove the doubters wrong. He will be defending his welterweight crown for the ninth consecutive time at UFC 167 on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jon Jones Talks ‘Phenomenal’ Fight Between Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks

Odds are that you have a calendar on a wall in your house or office. Maybe your calendar is kept on your computer. At the very least, you have a calendar app on your phone.
Take a look at that calendar. Does November 16, 2013 have a reminder of any sor…

Odds are that you have a calendar on a wall in your house or office. Maybe your calendar is kept on your computer. At the very least, you have a calendar app on your phone.

Take a look at that calendar. Does November 16, 2013 have a reminder of any sort?

If not, please circle, highlight or set an alarm for that date.

That’s the day UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will defend his title against Johny Hendricks.

Hendricks (15-1), the top-ranked challenger in the 170-pound division, earned his shot at St-Pierre by putting together a six-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC. During that run, Hendricks has picked up some significant extra coin, earning three Knockout of the Night bonuses and one Fight of the Night award.

St-Pierre (24-2), the UFC welterweight champion since April 2008, is in the midst of an 11-fight winning streak. The last eight of those wins being in defense of his UFC crown.

The oddsmakers are giving Hendricks the best chance of dethroning St-Pierre since B.J. Penn was favored over the champion going into their 2009 meeting at UFC 94. That fight ended with Penn quitting on his stool between Round 4 and Round 5, making it the last stoppage victory on St-Pierre’s resume.

Recently, Rick J Lee caught up with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and asked him what he thought about the upcoming fight. While the 205-pound kingpin was unwilling to make a pick in the fight, he did talk about why this bout is going to be a “phenomenal” fight.

St-Pierre and Hendricks will meet in the main event of UFC 167. The fight will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

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

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

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

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

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

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

You get the point: Johny Hendricks is intimidating.

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

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

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

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

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

The stone-fisted contender explained: 

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

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

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

Texans clearly like their cage fights.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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