UFC 167 Title Fight

Hendricks vs GSP full fight...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17...ht-video_sport

Hmmmm can't say I agree with the decision but Hendricks has no one to blame but himself. A good part of the fight was primarily a wrestling match and Hendricks made some very poor tactical decisions during the fight...he was landing lots of knees and elbows early and completely got away from that after the 3rd round. He also went from throwing combinations to just pot shoting and pawing with his right jab which was landing early. His biggest mistake was letting GSP up for no reason in the 4th when he was landing awesome ground and pound.

To GSP's credit he has the heart of a champion, was out gunned here but kept on attacking, jab was spot on a few take downs that Hendricks instantly countered. He tried some submissions throughout the fight kamuras and guillotines but at no point did he have Hendricks in trouble.

Reminded me of the Gustafson vs Jones fight...I think the judges gave the Champ a little more credit than the challenger.

GSP is clearly on the decline, his last fight against an inferior athlete Conduit, he was busted up badly and again last Sat, he looked the like the victim.

Hendricks needs to improve on his striking and combinations and he will dominate.

Post fight press conference, check out Dana White: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17...ghlights_sport

If I remember right, all three judges gave rounds 2 and 4 to Hendricks. Round 1 was the one in question, with 2 judges giving it to GSP, and one to Hendricks. While I can see why some thing it was incorrect, there was really only one round that was clearly favoring Hendricks (2). After that round GSP went well ahead on the strike count. Hendricks, comments at the end spell it pretty clear as to his mistake and others criticizing the fight. He said GSP didn't hit him with anything hard. His mistake. When you are being out struck (in count) 3 to 1 in the last 3 rounds (Hendricks was ahead of the count after round 2), then you are losing on points. Not about damage when it goes the distance, its about points. Plus GSP slightly edged out on the takedowns which always get more consideration.

Nick Diaz was GSP's last fight, back in March. He fought Condit before that, late last year. And to be fair, while Condit isn't the most physically gifted, he's has some nasty striking and has won plenty of knockouts. I heard something about GSP fighting hurt against Diaz. Could be mistaken though.

I did think round one was a draw and Hendricks to his own detriment took the third round off...in a ten rounder you can do that but not for a 5 round title fight. I do think that take downs are overrated in scoring...what's the point if you don't do any damage and the guy gets right back up?

Your'e right, I didn't see GSP vs Diaz...what did you think of that fight?

GSP was continually active, he is just a well rounded fighter with great athleticism, conditioning, and strong wrestling. He never hurt him. He just lacks knock out power, and I think a killer instinct, he's cautious and calculated. He rarely trades blows with fighters, he's no brawler but a tactician. I respect him but wouldn't fear him if I were in MMA. I think GSP respected and feared Hendricks.

I thought the fight of the night was Donald Cerrone vs Evan Dunham, I'd pay to see Cerrone anytime, he's never put out a bad fight.

It just seems to me that the under card fights are usually better than the Main Event for most UFCs, with a handful of exceptions.

Close but-I don't think GSP won that fight. He stayed active till the end but his face told the real story

Two thoughts here. In a fight, GSP lost plain and simple, he took the most damage and was hit harder than he gave. But in a match, he won based on points.

GSP, to his credit fights to accumulate as many points as possible, that's why the peppering of jabs, trying to score. That's also why he almost always goes the distance, he plays a calculated game and doesn't take a lot of high risk, only is the opportunity clearly presents itself, he will go for a finish.

In answering your thought HH on main fights not as entertaining as lower fights on the card, I think it's because the guys fighting on the lower fights want to prove something to climb the rankings so there's more of balls out chances, they may take higher risks in exchange for finishes. Whereas, the main event guys may not want to lose their spot and play it safer. Of course, this doesn't apply to all, but I think it might play into the minds of some of these guys.

Gsp for his a$$ beat but I think the 5th round told the story. Hendricks coasted and did nothing because he thought he was winning. This allowed gsp to get 2 takedowns. If the first round was in question the 5th round cleared up the confusion.

With that said technically GSP won the match but hendricks handed his a$$hole to him. You guys rmeber those vicious elbows to gsp's head when he was trying to take hendricks down? Wow.

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Originally Posted by Hebrew Hammer

I did think round one was a draw and Hendricks to his own detriment took the third round off...in a ten rounder you can do that but not for a 5 round title fight. I do think that take downs are overrated in scoring...what's the point if you don't do any damage and the guy gets right back up?

Your'e right, I didn't see GSP vs Diaz...what did you think of that fight?

GSP was continually active, he is just a well rounded fighter with great athleticism, conditioning, and strong wrestling. He never hurt him. He just lacks knock out power, and I think a killer instinct, he's cautious and calculated. He rarely trades blows with fighters, he's no brawler but a tactician. I respect him but wouldn't fear him if I were in MMA. I think GSP respected and feared Hendricks.

I thought the fight of the night was Donald Cerrone vs Evan Dunham, I'd pay to see Cerrone anytime, he's never put out a bad fight.

It just seems to me that the under card fights are usually better than the Main Event for most UFCs, with a handful of exceptions.

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The undercards are people trying to make a name. If you aren't a belt contender you have to sell seats to get fights, and bonuses mean the difference between paying the bills. There's more incentive for them to take risks. And risks are less risky against lower level fighters. You don't take risks in main event fights, not if you want to keep your title.

As for power, GSP is a freak of nature. He has plenty of knock out power, and Hendricks is one of the few to really out power GSP. He just doesn't fight for the finish. Its his game plan, nothing more. He grinds and fights defensively. He's the Mayweather of MMA.

Which is why most of the rest of the comments below you are asinine. When it goes to the judges, damage is relatively irrelevant save for perception. You expect competent judges not to fall victim to that bias, as so many fans are that can't see past a couple cuts. GSP's strike count surged in the 3rd and despite a weak 4th, Hendricks never caught back up because he went to pot shotting instead of trying to fight smart. How many cuts were on who's face is meaningless. Besides, GSP is a bleeder, that happens when you've tallied more time in the cage than any other fighter in history. Scar tissue cuts easy.

While this certainly wasn't his most dominant showing, people saying Hendricks got robbed are either homers or ignorant.

And as for damage, Hendricks got a 6 month medical suspension unless he clears ortho. GSP...45 days. Apparently Hendricks wasn't hitting that hard either.

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Originally Posted by SavvySavage

Gsp for his a$$ beat but I think the 5th round told the story. Hendricks coasted and did nothing because he thought he was winning. This allowed gsp to get 2 takedowns. If the first round was in question the 5th round cleared up the confusion.

With that said technically GSP won the match but hendricks handed his a$$hole to him. You guys rmeber those vicious elbows to gsp's head when he was trying to take hendricks down? Wow.

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You mean the elbows that he was able to deliver on a perfectly stationary target, braced against his thigh so no room to recoil against force, to the weakest part of the skull, and still didn't get much of an effect? Yeah, I remember those.

I think a far more interesting question, in terms of someone training to fight [which is what I'm assuming most are here for (unlike me, which is just to troll)], is what happened in GSP's 2nd fight with Sera that caused him to so drastically change his game plan. Before that, he only had 3 fights go the distance.

I think Hendricks won. But in a title fight you have to take that shit. So... you know. It is what it is. Retiring on a match like this sucks for the fans though. I believe him when he says he planned to stop anyways, but yeah... you know. There needs to be a rematch.


How bout Nate Diaz, huh? Great fight. Glad to watch Maynard get knocked around like that. Not the bully anymore.

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Originally Posted by SoCo KungFu

I think a far more interesting question, in terms of someone training to fight [which is what I'm assuming most are here for (unlike me, which is just to troll)], is what happened in GSP's 2nd fight with Sera that caused him to so drastically change his game plan. Before that, he only had 3 fights go the distance.

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spot on with your reading of the fight and spot on here. GSP got knocked out trading in a fight so changed his total game plan to a safer and more boring one. Stay at the outside using his jab, then look for the takedown, stay safe on the ground and rack up the points with ground and pound, its boring but fairly safe if you have the best double leg in mma, excellent top control and superb athletic ability and conditioning.