Tag: UFC 171

UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks Would Like to Fight GSP Again

Johny Hendricks earned the vacant UFC welterweight title Saturday in a classic five-round battle with Robbie Lawler at UFC 171.
The two welterweight animals combined for 308 significant strikes, a new high in a UFC title fight.

 
Despite Lawler c…

Johny Hendricks earned the vacant UFC welterweight title Saturday in a classic five-round battle with Robbie Lawler at UFC 171.

The two welterweight animals combined for 308 significant strikes, a new high in a UFC title fight.

 

Despite Lawler chipping in 150 significant strikes to that metric, “Bigg Rigg” still edged him with 158 and more effective grappling, taking the fight on all three judges’ scorecards by a score of 48-47.

After the win, the newly crowned king was visibly emotional post-fight inside the Octagon.

After all, the road to the title was not easy, and it contained a serious heartbreak.

In November 2013 at UFC 167, Hendricks squared off against welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre, and the tough Texan powerhouse looked better than ever.

He battered GSP.

He rocked him with heavy punches.

He pushed the pace against the former champion, and he thought he did enough to earn the judges’ nod after 25 minutes of action.

He didn’t.

A split-decision loss sent Hendricks home empty-handed, and his quest to regain the belt was reborn after GSP announced he was leaving the sport of MMA—and his welterweight title—to clear his head and to find inner peace.

After Hendricks’ impressive performance against the Canadian superstar, the UFC booked him to fight Lawler for the vacant welterweight strap, and he again found himself entrenched in a close, 25-minute bout inside the Octagon, leaving his fate up to the ringside judges.

This time, they saw it Hendricks’ way, and Bigg Rigg’s former loss mattered naught.

He is the new champion. He earned it.

And GSP’s shadow still looms large.

In the post-fight press conference, reporters asked Bigg Rigg if he feels he needs to defeat GSP to truly establish his status as the division’s top dog.

“No, but I’d like to,” Hendricks said. “I’d like to fight Georges again. I think it’d be fun. We had a good match. I think I’m better. There are better situations. I’m going to get stronger. This is my second fight for five rounds. I’m only learning…I have a lot to learn still.”

With recent news swirling that St-Pierre may return to the Octagon (UFC President Dana White says he knows this to be a fact), Hendricks may get his wish.

Would you like to see the rematch between the new champ and the former ruler of the UFC’s 170-pound division? Who do you think would take it?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 171 Results: 10 Burning Questions Heading into UFC Fight Night 38

UFC 171 is in the books. The results are as follows:
 
UFC 171 Main Card

Johny Hendricks def. Robbie Lawler, Unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

Tyron Woodley def. Carlos Condit, TKO (Round 2, 2:00)
Myles Jury def. Diego Sanchez, Unanimous …

UFC 171 is in the books. The results are as follows:

 

UFC 171 Main Card

  • Johny Hendricks def. Robbie Lawler, Unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
  • Tyron Woodley def. Carlos Condit, TKO (Round 2, 2:00)
  • Myles Jury def. Diego Sanchez, Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Hector Lombard def. Jake Shields, Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Ovince St. Preux def. Nikita Krylov, Submission (Round 1, 1:29)

Fox Sports 2 Prelims

  • Kelvin Gastelum def. Rick Story, Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Jessica Andrade def. Raquel Pennington, Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Dennis Bermudez def. Jimy Hettes, TKO (Round 3, 2:57)
  • Alex Garcia def. Sean Spencer, Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Fight Pass Prelims

  • Francisco Trevino def. Renee Forte, Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Justin Scoggins def. Will Campuzano, Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Sean Strickland def. Bubba McDaniel, Submission (Round 1, 4:33)
  • Robert Whiteford def. Daniel Pineda, Unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

 

Next up is UFC Fight Night 38 on Sunday, March 23. Featuring a moderately anticipated rematch between former champions Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, the upcoming off-day Fox Sports 1 card promises to deliver numerous names you’ll vaguely recall hearing at one point or another like Jussier da Silva, Norman Parke, Gian Villante and many more.

Seriously, though, there are some interesting fights to look forward to. No, really!

So what should you be mulling over until then? Find out right here!

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Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler: Twitter Reacts to Main Event

No. 1-ranked Johny Hendricks and No. 3-ranked Robbie Lawler stepped inside the Octagon to battle it out for the vacant welterweight championship Saturday night in Dallas.
The fight did not disappoint. The two heavy-hitters stood in the pocket and excha…

No. 1-ranked Johny Hendricks and No. 3-ranked Robbie Lawler stepped inside the Octagon to battle it out for the vacant welterweight championship Saturday night in Dallas.

The fight did not disappoint. The two heavy-hitters stood in the pocket and exchanged blows round after round. It went the full 25 minutes, but there was not a dull moment in the fight. The Dallas crowd was treated to one of the best welterweight title fights in UFC history.

It was Hendricks who walked away with a narrow decision victory, and Twitter was quite active during the exciting bout. Here’s a look at some of the tweets that came across the wire.

 

Pre-fight

 

Round 1

Hendricks seemingly took Round 1, but it was a close round. Hendricks landed a bit more cleanly and was effective with low leg kicks. Lawler connected in his own right, but it was not enough to take the frame on the scorecards.

 

Round 2

Another close round, but this one was not as close as the first. Hendricks outpaced Lawler in the round. Neither fighter was throwing huge bombs in the fight, but they were supplying plenty of volume.

 

Round 3

Lawler started to take over the fight. He hurt Hendricks but was unable to finish him off. It was the first crystal-clear round. Hendricks slowed considerably, and Lawler took full advantage with a flurry of strikes. He was very close to capturing gold.

 

Round 4

Lawler kept up the pace in the fourth round. Hendricks did not seem like he was going to win the fight early on. He looked completely out of it. The No. 1-ranked welterweight rebounded late in the round and started to show signs of life once more. Lawler looked like the winner of the round, but Hendricks returned to earlier form.

 

Round 5

The deciding round, and Lawler hit a wall. Hendricks took advantage and hurt Lawler. He could not finish the veteran, but he was able to get the points. Hendricks took Lawler down to the floor to secure the round, and eventually the title.

 

Post-fight

A fantastic fight between two elite fighters. This is the standard we expect from title fights. They went after the gold and did not leave anything in the cage. What’s next? The UFC has plenty of options at its feet.

Regardless of who is next, Hendricks earned the title at UFC 171. A hard-fought victory. Here is to hoping Lawler returns, gets a win or two, and we can see this one again.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hendricks vs. Lawler: What We Learned from the UFC 171 Title Fight

For almost six long years, Georges St-Pierre held the welterweight belt. For five of those years, his hold on it was utterly unbreakable.
Fighters like Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy were built up on the idea that they were the ones to give St-Pierre a cha…

For almost six long years, Georges St-Pierre held the welterweight belt. For five of those years, his hold on it was utterly unbreakable.

Fighters like Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy were built up on the idea that they were the ones to give St-Pierre a challenge. Not necessarily beat him…but they could at least make him work for it. More often than not, they didn’t.

When Johny Hendricks actually did, fans were taken aback, but excited. After all, is there anything more exciting than seeing somebody climb to the top only to get knocked back down? It’s a sadistic lust that looms in any kind of celebrity worship, and sport is no different.

While St-Pierre denied fans the opportunity to see him fall, Hendricks assumed his place as the champion, in theory at least. In vintage St-Pierre-like fashion, he was regarded as a massive favorite over the first challenger to his perceived throne, Robbie Lawler.

Things didn’t go as planned, though. Hendricks vs. Lawler proved to be a far more competitive fight than most expected. Many thought Hendricks would either knock Lawler out without incident or wrestle him en route to a handy decision victory.

Lawler, though, demonstrated surprisingly good takedown defense and did excellent work trapping Hendricks’ hands during exchanges and rolling with the punches that got through. By the end of the fight, Hendricks was battered and bloody, while Lawler walked away looking like he just came out of the showers.

When the scores were read, though, Hendricks would get a (more or less) unanimous 48-47 nod from the judges, trotting away with a shiny new belt and a freshly rearranged face…just like Georges St-Pierre did to him months earlier. And just like with Georges St-Pierre, many disagreed with the decision.

So what did we learn from that, then? Frankly, that Johny Hendricks may be the champion, but it will be genuinely surprising if he holds on to the belt for any length of time.

Hendricks has dynamite hands. He has strong wrestling. So does Tyron Woodley. So does Jake Ellenberger. So do several other fighters.

Part of that is because the welterweight division is really deep. Part of that is because Johny Hendricks isn’t the same sort of truly complete package that Georges St-Pierre was.

Lawler made Hendricks look bad at points during the bout, landing stifling jabs again and again, deflecting punches and countering effectively. His superior striking wore Hendricks down to the point where he couldn’t consistently land takedowns. Hendricks knew it, too.

“I’ll get stronger. It’s just my second fight for five rounds,” he said after the fight. “I’ve been at this for six and a half years. Look at all the guys I’m fighting. They have eight, nine…12 years. I have a lot to learn still.”

While Lawler has solid striking and inimitable savvy from all his time in the sport, he is by no means the welterweight division’s Junior dos Santos or Urijah Faber. If Lawler can push Hendricks to the brink like that, so too can many other welterweight fighters.

And that, really, is why you should all miss Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre was at the top of the mountain and therefore offered the longest, most entertaining fall.

Hendricks? That’s just not quite as satisfying.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 171 Fight Card: Recapping the Fight Night Bonuses

UFC 171 brought a stacked card on paper to Dallas on Saturday, and the stellar matchups were even better in execution. 
The card featured entertaining, back-and-forth fights from top to bottom, leaving the UFC brass with some tough decisions to ma…

UFC 171 brought a stacked card on paper to Dallas on Saturday, and the stellar matchups were even better in execution. 

The card featured entertaining, back-and-forth fights from top to bottom, leaving the UFC brass with some tough decisions to make when doling out the Performance of the Night Bonuses. 

In the night’s main event, Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler waged war and broke records with the frequency and ferocity of their offensive onslaught. 

Hendricks broke the UFC welterweight record for significant strikes landed in one fight with 158, and Lawler tossed in 150 of his own, third best in the promotion’s history. With 26 combined knockouts between them, these punches, kicks, knees and elbows were truly “significant,” and each man landed several shots that would have knocked out a lesser fighter. 

Hendricks eventually took home a unanimous decision (48-47 on all judges’ cards), but Lawler surpassed all expectations and pushed the newly minted champion to his limits, and the two combatants were rewarded for their efforts with a cool $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. 

Additionally, preliminary fighter Dennis Bermudez took home a performance bonus for his third-round technical-knockout victory of Jimy Hettes, and Ovince St. Preux gained 50,000 reasons to smile after his first-round submission victory over Nikita Krylov in the opening bout of the pay-per-view portion of the card. 

St. Preux‘s finish came via Von Flue choke, a rarity in MMA, so it makes sense that he should be rewarded for his creativity and his successful application of the scarcely seen technique. 

Fight of the Night: Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler

Performance Bonus: Ovince St. Preux, Dennis Bermudez

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 171 Results: Grades for Every Main Card Fighter

For the first time since 2009, the UFC set up shop in Dallas on Saturday night, heading to the Lone Star State for UFC 171. With a collection of top welterweights all vying for position in the division—including a new champion in Johny Hendricks&…

For the first time since 2009, the UFC set up shop in Dallas on Saturday night, heading to the Lone Star State for UFC 171. With a collection of top welterweights all vying for position in the division—including a new champion in Johny Hendricks—things got hectic in a hurry once the broadcast hit pay-per-view.

With that in mind, here are the grades for the fighters who took to the cage.

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