UFC 171 is officially underway.
Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler will compete to claim the welterweight throne recently vacated by longtime champion Georges St-Pierre.
In addition to the main event Carlos Condit and Tyron Woodley will do battle …
Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler will compete to claim the welterweight throne recently vacated by longtime champion Georges St-Pierre.
In addition to the main event Carlos Condit and Tyron Woodley will do battle in a title-eliminator contest, while Jake Shields and Hector Lombard will also look to enter the title picture by dueling on the main card.
It’s hard to picture the welterweight division without Georges St-Pierre at the top of the throne, but we have to get used to it. A new king will be crowned on Saturday night.
At UFC 171 in Dallas, heavy-handed warriors Johny Hendricks and Robbie…
It’s hard to picture the welterweight division without Georges St-Pierre at the top of the throne, but we have to get used to it. A new king will be crowned on Saturday night.
At UFC 171 in Dallas, heavy-handed warriors Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler will clash in the middle of the Octagon like two titans fighting for their lives. Both men are hungry for gold, but only one will walk out of the American Airlines Center with the UFC Welterweight Championship around his waist.
Also on the card, welterweight dynamos Carlos Condit and TyronWoodley will compete in the co-main event in hopes of earning the first crack at the new champ.
Plus, The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Diego Sanchez returns to action against undefeated Myles Jury, Jake Shields battles Hector Lombard, and rising star Nikita “Al Capone” Krylov squares off with Ovince St. Preux.
RedHotVegas.com’sRoni Taylor is back once again to help break down this card. Let’s see who comes out on top in the prediction faceoff!
Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
Mitchell Ciccarelli: With Georges St-Pierre’s “retirement,” the welterweight division has been kicked wide open, and a new era will be ushered in on Saturday night.
Hendricks is already considered by many as the “uncrowned” champ, after seemingly getting the better of St-Pierre through five rounds last November. Unfortunately for “Bigg Rigg,” the judges weren’t paying attention that night.
The Team Takedown leader is hungrier than ever to right that wrong and walk out of his home state of Texas with UFC gold in hand.
But first, he has to get past Lawler.
Since returning to the UFC last year, “Ruthless” has gone on an absolute tear and resurrected his career in ways that nobody thought he would. Seriously, if you would have told me last year that he would fight for a UFC title someday, I would have thought you were crazy.
As much as I have enjoyed his comeback story, I believe Hendricks’ wrestling pedigree and vicious knockout power will prevail. What’s your pick here, Roni?
Roni Taylor: I really hate fights like this because I am torn between my heart and my head.
My heart really doesn’t like Hendricks, mostly because of how he acted after the GSP fight, so I want to root for Lawler to knock his block off.
My head, on the other hand, knows good and well that BiggRigg‘s wrestling prowess and one-punch KO power are going to be too much for Lawler come Saturday.
I would be shocked if this fight made it out of the first round. I am going to give this fight to Hendricks by way of yet another first-round TKO.
Expect to have a little dejavu from both the Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann fights, as Johny launches another one of his monster overhand lefts to seal the deal.
Ciccarelli’s pick: Hendricks by third-round (T)KO
Taylor’s pick: Hendricks by first-round (T)KO
Carlos Condit vs. Tyrone Woodley
MC: Whoever takes home the gold in the main event is going to have his work cut out for them because he will have either Condit or Woodley in the crosshairs next.
I have said this for a long time, but I truly believe that nobody blends pure technique with raw violence at 170 pounds better than Condit.
He is “The Natural Born Killer” for a reason, but the one flaw in his game has always been his ability to defend takedowns against explosive, collegiate-level wrestlers.
A former NCAA Division I wrestler, Woodley is as explosive as they come. However, I don’t see “T-Wood” grinding this one out.
Condit has been drilling takedown defense like nobody’s business, and Woodley seems to be more of a striker than a wrestler these days.
I think the former interim champ will bait Woodley into a firefight and eventually catch him flush for a stoppage.
What about you?
RT: As impressive as Woodley has looked with his KO wins over Josh Koscheck and Jay Hieron, I just don’t feel he is on the same level as The Natural Born Killer.
Condit has the best combination of composure and aggression in the game today. His ability to methodically pick fighters apart, like he did to Nick Diaz, will prove to be the deciding factor in this fight.
While Woodley has the edge in brute strength, Condit is the more cerebral fighter, and at the upper echelon of the welterweight division, that has proven to be a key component of success.
Carlos takes this one by way of TKO due to submission late in the third round after he frustrates Woodley with his outside striking and then catches Tyrone with a guillotine as he dives in for a lazy takedown.
Ciccarelli’s pick: Condit by second-round (T)KO
Taylor’s pick: Condit by third-round submission
Diego Sanchez vs. Myles Jury
MC: Nearly 10 years have passed since Sanchez dominated Kenny Florian to become the first TUF winner in the middleweight division. The fact that “The Dream” is still competing at a high level, when all of his other TUF 1 brothers have fallen out, is pretty remarkable if you ask me.
Sanchez is coming off a decision loss to Gilbert Melendez that will forever be remembered as one of the craziest MMA wars of all time.
He’s going up against an undefeated star on the rise in “Fury” Jury and needs to deliver a win in order to stay relevant.
Jury is impressive, but I don’t think we have seen him tested against a fighter of Sanchez’ caliber yet.
I’ll take Sanchez by a “dirty” unanimous-decision win. You see what I did there? Take your pick, Roni.
RT: It seems someone has been spending too much time on UrbanDictionary.com. I am a raving fan of Diego Sanchez because he is one of the few fighters out there that refuses to have a boring fight.
I’d like to change his nickname to “The Mexican Zombie” because just like Chan Sung Jung, Diego keeps coming forward no matter what his opponent does to him.
Yes, Jury has a perfect record, but I agree with you in such that Jury has never fought anyone as aggressive and durable as Sanchez.
This will be a rude awakening for Myles as he loses this one by decision. Diego will overwhelm him all three rounds for a 30-27 final tally.
Ciccarelli’s pick: Sanchez by unanimous decision
Taylor’s pick: Sanchez by unanimous decision
Jake Shields vs. Hector Lombard
MC: UFC 171 might as well be renamed “night of welterweights,” as we have another top contender battle here at 170 pounds.
A former Strikeforce champion, Shields isn’t the most exciting kitten in the litter, but he knows how to catch the mouse. In his last two bouts, he ground out wins over top contenders Woodley and Demian Maia.
Lombard just dropped down to welterweight this past October and absolutely destroyed former title contender Nate Marquardt in the process.
A similar win over Shields could catapult the former Bellator champ into a UFC title fight.
Shields is a grinder. He takes guys down and keeps them there. It’s not pretty, but unfortunately, very few fighters in this world can prevent him from doing it.
Maybe I’m crazy, but I think Lombard is one of those few.
I like Lombard by another explosive TKO victory that will make the UFC brass seriously consider him for the next title shot. Am I out of my mind or do you agree?
RT: Yes, you are a little crazy, but it’s not because you’re picking Lombard to win this one. I do not like Shields’ M.O. for winning fights.
It’s lay and pray, and honestly I don’t think he is going to even get the chance to pretend to be a Snuggie on top of Lombard.
Hector backs his powerful striking with his elite-level judo, and I think that spells disaster for Shields. As much as it pains me to do so, I am going to agree with you again on this one.
I see Hector smashing Shields until he sees stars before the first five minutes have elapsed.
Ciccarelli’s pick: Lombard by first-round (T)KO
Taylor’s pick: Lombard by first-round (T)KO
Nikita Krylov vs. Ovince St. Preux
MC: I’ll be honest with you; I have no clue why this fight is on the main card of a pay-per-view.
I’m not overly impressed with either one of these guys and would have preferred the Raquel Pennington vs. Jessica Andrade fight in this spot instead.
I know Krylov and St. Preux are both coming off TKO wins, but I don’t think that warrants a PPV main card slot when you consider how awful they both looked before that. I’m not dogging on them, though.
St. Preux is still a diamond in the rough, and “Al Capone” looks like he has some serious potential as well. This could turn out to be a really good fight, so maybe I should just stop complaining.
I’m going to take OSP as the lone submission winner on the PPV.
RT: Looks like I am going to have to burst your bubble on this one, my friend. While I agree this fight will end in a submission, you got the wrong person getting their hand raised.
Krylov is not only a Master of Sport in Kyokushin karate, but every single one of his 16 wins have been in the first round, with 10 of those wins coming by way of submission!
I am actually pretty excited to watch this fight, as I think Krylov is going to chalk up another first-round victory by way of submission, and I’ll go ahead and call it now: arm triangle.
Ciccarelli’s pick: St. Preux by first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Taylor’s pick: Krylov by first-round submission (arm triangle)
Mitch Ciccarelli is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and co-host of Alchemist Radio. He is also a United States Airman. Follow him on Twitter @MitchCiccarelli.
Nobody mistakes the power that exists in UFC welterweight title contender Johny Hendricks’ hands, especially when it comes to his left hand. In 15 career wins, eight men tried to survive Hendricks’ onslaught to no avail, while an official total of six …
Nobody mistakes the power that exists in UFC welterweight title contender Johny Hendricks’ hands, especially when it comes to his left hand. In 15 career wins, eight men tried to survive Hendricks’ onslaught to no avail, while an official total of six men dropped decisions to him.
We say “an official total of six men” because while Hendricks did damage former UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, he dropped a controversial split-decision verdict to St-Pierre, who to his credit, edged Hendricks out in significant strikes landed.
Still, Hendricks gets the chance for redemption this Saturday when he faces “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler at UFC 171 inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Much like Hendricks’ career often stands out because of his career wins, Lawler‘s career is defined by the fact that most of his wins have come via knockout. In fact, he has 16 KOs, which comes as no surprise given his experience in the sport.
The fact that Lawler can put guys away with more than just a left or right hand makes him even that much more of a threat to Hendricks. It also serves as one of the reasons why a number of MMA fans anticipate this bout ending inside the distance via one form or another of a knockout.
While no question exists that both can knock each other out, does that mean it will happen when the cage door shuts?
Absolutely not, and while both men appear primed for an intense five-round battle that promises to end before the championship rounds, the matchup on paper suggests that a decision will determine the new UFC welterweight champion.
After all, when it comes down to the bare bones of the matter, the knockout ability only tells a portion of the story, in comparison to other overlooked aspects of the bout.
For instance, consider Lawler‘s three-inch reach advantage. Anytime he lays hands on someone, he always hurts them badly, even if he can’t finish them.
In his UFC 167 win over Rory MacDonald, as well as in early-career bouts against Chris Lytle and Aaron Riley, Lawler proved that he can use his striking effectively to dictate the tempo of the bout while going the distance, even if he gets taken down a few times or put in precarious positions.
In other words, he won’t worry if he finds himself in a situation where he swings and lands with deadly intentions and yet can’t knock Hendricks out.
Lawler knows he can pick Hendricks apart if he needs to, even if it costs him the chance to finish the fight. Besides, no durable opponent on earth will discourage him from trying to blast someone with anything that might end the fight anyway.
“Bigg Rigg” will not go down on his home turf without making it a struggle, though. Remember, Lawler head kicked a durable young man in Bobby Voelker and earned a solid win, but rocking Voelker‘s dome like a hurricane does not compare to cracking Hendricks’ jaw.
So far, no welterweight can claim to have done that.
Also, if the bout reverts more to grappling than striking, then interest begins to peak further.
If Hendricks does get rocked or hurt, he holds his wrestling experience in his back pocket. Lawler normally struggles with guys who can outgrapple him and overall remove him from his element.
While Hendricks does not fit the mold of a grappler, his takedowns and top control can bring bad news to anyone who cannot stuff his attempts.
Still, even his wrestling, which can stifle Lawler if Hendricks sets it up properly, sees a solid counter in the form of impenetrable takedown defense. Sure, Lawler can get taken down, but he has solid defense.
In this fight, he will need it.
How would anyone say that as a fact? Because even though Hendricks initially weighed in heavy at Friday’s UFC 171 weigh-in, even a Bigg Rigg that looked zapped of his energy can still find a way to threaten Lawler with takedowns. If Lawler cannot stuff any of them, he will find himself in a world of hurt.
Once again, though, this bout is scheduled for five rounds, and just as Hendricks showed that he could go hard for 25 minutes against St-Pierre, Lawler can prove the same on Saturday night.
Even though both men can come in calm, calculated and committed to a game plan, fans should expect that they will show the hearts of a champion throughout the duration of the bout and not let the fight end inside the distance.
The result after the full five rounds may be controversial. If so, it will all but guarantee a rematch down the line.
Yet, with the vacant UFC welterweight title on the line, it would only be fitting that the bout end on the heels of an exciting, back-and-forth affair that gives us a tremendous look at the best of the welterweight division today—while helping us get excited to watch what happens in the UFC welterweight picture in the future.
The weigh-ins from UFC 171 just went down, and, in a surprising turn, welterweight contender Johny Hendricks missed weight. Hendricks is slated to fight Robbie Lawler in the card’s main event, with the vacant welterweight title on the line.
“Big Rigg” …
The weigh-ins from UFC 171 just went down, and, in a surprising turn, welterweight contender Johny Hendricks missed weight. Hendricks is slated to fight Robbie Lawler in the card’s main event, with the vacant welterweight title on the line.
“Big Rigg” weighed in at 171.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the weight limit. While in non-championship bouts, a pound is given over the limit to offer fighters a small bit of wiggle room, championship bouts have a strict cutoff, and Hendricks will need to weigh in at 170.0 to save his purse and preserve his opportunity to become the UFC welterweight champion.
Hendricks is currently on the clock and will have a bit of time to shed that last pound-and-a-half. The UFC already put forth a contingency plan should Hendricks not make weight.
According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, should Hendricks miss weight, even if he wins, he will not walk away with the belt. However, Lawler still has the chance to take the belt with a win in spite of that:
If Hendricks does not make weight, will be a five round (half) title fight. Lawler can win belt but Johny would not.
Only two fighters in the UFC have missed weight for a title bout: Joe Riggs, who took a short notice bout against Matt Hughes at UFC 56, and Travis Lutter, who fought Anderson Silva at UFC 67. More recently, Nate Diaz missed weight for his lightweight title fight opposite Benson Henderson, but he was able to get down to 155.0 pounds before time ran out.
Check back here for more info as it becomes available.
Update:
False alarm, folks! Hendricks made the 170-pound limit with four minutes to spare.
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.
It’s hard to picture the welterweight division without Georges St-Pierre at the top of the throne, but we have to get used to it. A new king will be crowned on Saturday night.