Tag: UFC 171

UFC 171 Results: Biggest Winners from Saturday Night’s Bouts

We’re only a few months into 2014, but UFC 171 likely featured what will end up being one of the top bouts of the year.
All eyes were on the main event—Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler—as the two competed to be the only person other than G…

We’re only a few months into 2014, but UFC 171 likely featured what will end up being one of the top bouts of the year.

All eyes were on the main event—Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler—as the two competed to be the only person other than Georges St-Pierre since 2008 to wear the UFC welterweight title belt (although Carlos Condit did serve as interim champion in 2012). Needless to say, the implications were huge.

The main event was just part of the story, however. There were multiple compelling bouts Saturday night, and the winners of the fights have set themselves up to do great things in the coming months of 2014.

You don’t have to be an actual winner from Saturday night to be in good shape for the coming months, though. Here are the real winners from UFC 171.

 

Johny Hendricks

It took five hard-fought rounds for the judges to decide the winner of the main event, and Johny Hendricks was awarded the UFC welterweight title belt after the scores were gathered.

The match was really a tale of two halves. Hendricks dominated the first two rounds with a flurry of strong kicks and body shots. Robbie Lawler then got into a zone in Rounds 3 and 4, executing with incredible power. After four rounds, it appeared to be anybody’s match.

That’s when Hendricks stepped it up. The UFC’s official Twitter account had this statement from Hendricks following the bout:

Both fighters were exhausted in the round, but Hendricks was able to grit out a tough win. Hendricks is obviously a big winner because he is the first to don the welterweight title since it was surrendered by Georges St-Pierre. That’s not the only reason, though.

Hendricks deserves legitimate praise for fighting back to end the strong run of Lawler. After starting strong, Hendricks faded in the middle rounds. It took serious guts to come back and win the fight.

The rest of the UFC should be on notice. Hendricks has the spirit of a fighter that might just retain this belt for a long time.

 

Robbie Lawler

Robbie Lawler was the tough-luck loser to Hendricks, but he was successful in proving himself on the big stage. After entering the UFC at 18, Lawler got beaten up pretty badly and needed to come back seasoned as a veteran. That’s exactly what he was able to do here.

It took him a couple of rounds to get into his rhythm. Hendricks was the no-doubt winner of the first two rounds, as Lawler had trouble knocking Hendricks off his game. The momentum was clearly not in his favor entering Round 3, but he easily swung it his way.

Lawler is one of the strongest pure strikers in the sport. He put that on display after taking his hits early. He made Hendricks pay with a variety of uppercuts and jabs, ultimately forcing Hendricks’ hand and bringing the match to what would be a deciding fifth round.

He ultimately had nothing left in the tank. Here’s how Todd Martin of the Los Angeles Times broke down that final round:

Lawler was pouring it on in the third and the fourth and it looked like it was strongly going Lawler‘s way. Hendricks pulled it out in the second half of the final round, beating a dangerous striker at his own game. 

Lawler‘s unbelievable striking ability makes him a fighter to watch in 2014 and beyond—even if he didn’t earn the win at UFC 171.

 

Dennis Bermudez

While the welterweights mostly stole the show, featherweight Dennis Bermudez battled through an impressive fight of his own.

Jimy Hettes was the victim of a third-round TKO because of the fantastic display from Bermudez. He was fast with his hands and on his feet. This allowed him to find openings in Hettes‘ defense to strike through, and boy, did he capitalize on those.

Bermudez delivered punishing blows when given the opportunity. They were blows that Hettes simply could not combat or match. When Bermudez wasn’t toying with Hettes on his feet, he was dominating him on the mat.

Currently on a six-fight winning streak after losing his UFC debut, Bermudez has his sights sets on big things. This is what he said after the fight about , via Mark La Monica of Newsday: “I’m looking forward to improve my spot in the rankings. Going 6-0 in the UFC is absolutely incredible.”

Climbing the rankings shouldn’t be difficult for Bermudez if he can keep fighting like this.

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UFC 171: Fighters Who Made the Biggest Impact from Saturday

UFC fans were treated to an exciting run of fights Saturday night. A few of the fighters in action scored impressive wins, but none was more impressive than the clutch performance from new UFC welterweight champion Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks.
With all…

UFC fans were treated to an exciting run of fights Saturday night. A few of the fighters in action scored impressive wins, but none was more impressive than the clutch performance from new UFC welterweight champion Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks.

With all the momentum in “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler‘s favor heading into the fifth and final round, Hendricks dug deep, stunned Lawler and scored the takedowns that earned him the decision win and the title.

It was a gutsy showing from the long-suffering contender. After the bout was over, Hendricks spoke to ESPN’s Todd Grisham about the win and the journey.

The fight was an instant classic, as USA Today’s Marc Raimondi would attest:

Whenever a fighter wins a bout like this, it only raises his or her appeal to the MMA community.

Here’s a look at two other fighters who also represented themselves well on Saturday.

 

Tyron Woodley

Don’t listen to the talk that suggests Woodley‘s TKO win over Carlos Condit lacked substance because Condit injured his knee. 

Condit was injured during a Woodley takedown and finished by a leg kick. Neither was a freak accident, and Woodley said during the pay-per-view broadcast that “it’s all part of the process.”

Woodley was not a Top 10 welterweight going into the fight (according to the UFC’s official rankings), but scoring a win over the man ranked second at 170 pounds was a big deal.

There could be a case made that Woodley deserves the first shot at Hendricks. After all, he has strung three wins in a row together, and he just stopped the man who knocked out Rory MacDonald in 2010.

MacDonald is likely Woodley‘s stiffest competition for the No. 1 contender spot. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.

In any case, Woodley announced his presence amongst 170-pounders loud and clear.

 

Myles Jury

Diego Sanchez has a way of pulling fighters into his brawling style. The moment his opponents throw caution to the wind is the moment Sanchez is able to close the skills gap.

Jury didn’t succumb to the temptation. He didn’t shy away from exchanges, but he also didn’t lose track of the game plan. He systematically took Sanchez apart by keeping him on his back.

Jury’s wrestling skills and poise made him look like a real contender in the lightweight division. Of all the wins on Saturday’s main card, Jury’s was one of the cleanest.

 

Follow me. I dig combat sports.

@BMaziqueFPBR

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UFC 171 Results: Ranking the 5 Most Impressive Performances

UFC 171 promised much and arguably exceeded all of our expectations. From top to bottom, the card delivered like few do.
We are still in the first quarter of 2014, but it would be a surprise if Saturday night’s event from the American Airlines Center i…

UFC 171 promised much and arguably exceeded all of our expectations. From top to bottom, the card delivered like few do.

We are still in the first quarter of 2014, but it would be a surprise if Saturday night’s event from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, failed to make the shortlist for card of the year.

There is no shortage of outstanding displays to choose from, but who stood out the most?

Read on for a rundown of the five most impressive performances from UFC 171.

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UFC 171 Results: Why Are We Talking About Everyone BUT Johny Hendricks?


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

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.

Nick Diaz stole some of the press at the weigh ins, heckling Hendricks for being a pound and a half heavy. That stunt soon snowballed into something more. At an unofficial media scrum, Diaz proclaimed that he was in fighting shape. In an interview with SportsNet, Diaz elucidated his presence in Dallas.


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

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.

Nick Diaz stole some of the press at the weigh ins, heckling Hendricks for being a pound and a half heavy. That stunt soon snowballed into something more. At an unofficial media scrum, Diaz proclaimed he was in fighting shape. In an interview with SportsNet, Diaz elucidated his presence in Dallas.

“[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.”

The heat is on Diaz, now, not the guy who just captured the belt. But it wouldn’t be a welterweight affair without GSP’s name being thrown around, which it was by Hendricks himself at the post-fight presser.

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 time again 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.

Valiant in Defeat: Robbie Lawler Reached His Full Potential and Still Fell Short

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.

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UFC 171: Did Hector Lombard Do Enough to Earn a Title Shot?

With Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit vs. Tyron Woodley gobbling up most of the column inches post UFC 171, Hector Lombard’s dominant win over Jake Shields has seemingly flown under the radar.
The Cuban imposed his will on…

With Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit vs. Tyron Woodley gobbling up most of the column inches post UFC 171, Hector Lombard’s dominant win over Jake Shields has seemingly flown under the radar.

The Cuban imposed his will on the former Strikeforce middleweight champion from start to finish, at times tossing him around like a blow-up doll. For a contest that looked competitive on paper, it was shockingly one-sided.

Despite him thoroughly outclassing one of the welterweight division’s top contenders, we were still left wondering whether Lombard had earned the first shot at Hendricks’ title.

The former Olympic judoka is something of an enigma. He at times looks unstoppable, comfortably living up to his Tyson-esque reputation. Other times, he appears listless, plodding forward aimlessly with inexplicable periods of inactivity.

Lombard is a walking contradiction, whose style is equal parts infuriating and exhilarating. His UFC 171 performance was a perfect demonstration of both extremes.

Throughout the bout, Joe Rogan took pains to point out that fatigue was likely responsible for Lombard’s occasional placidity. However, there was little evidence to suggest that the Cuban was struggling physically.

Rather, he appeared overly cautious, perhaps eager to protect the lead he had built up on the scorecards. Whenever the fight hit the ground, he willingly surrendered dominant positions in order to rest in Shields’ closed guard.

On the feet, he was either mauling his foe or engaging him in a staring contest. It was a strange performance all round.

Lombard’s lack of urgency against an outmatched opponent is unlikely to endear him to UFC president Dana White. With the 170-pound division wide open since Georges St-Pierre’s departure, we were looking for a contender to emerge from the pack.

Woodley looked impressive in his win over Condit, but the result was arguably marred by the fact that the bout ended due to injury in the second round.

Additionally, with Woodley having recently lost to Shields, Lombard’s victory at UFC 171 may function as something of a tiebreaker between the pair.

Strangely, Nick Diaz’s name has been thrown into the mix by some. Stockton’s favourite son has been unusually media-friendly over the past couple of days, making clear to anyone who will listen that he’s ready to fight.

However, it’s hard to imagine even the UFC promoting a title fight with someone who is on a two-fight losing streak and hasn’t competed in more than a year.

So despite an uneven performance, Lombard would appear to be the logical choice for Hendricks’ first title defence. Then again, I gave up on trying to second-guess the UFC matchmakers a long time ago.

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