Georges St. Pierre casts quite a shadow. | Photo: Marcelo
Alonso/Sherdog.com
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s crazy March schedule rolls
into the American Airlines Arena in Dallas on Saturday, with the
third of its four scheduled fight cards. Fortunately for North
Americans, unlike the last two weekends, you will not have to wake
up and stay up through the wee hours of the morning for this one.
Saddle up for what should be a good old-fashioned Texas shootout
between two of the 170-pound division’s most powerful sluggers, as
Johny
Hendricks and
Robbie
Lawler meet for the vacant welterweight title in the
UFC
171 main event.
Photo:
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Hendricks hunts finishes.
How We Got Here: Normally the Smartest Guy at the
Bar would fall off his stool ranting and raving about Hendricks’
title shot when considering the smell off a fresh loss emanating
from his grizzly beard. However, the welterweight division is
anything but normal these days. The greatest welterweight of
all-time,
Georges St.
Pierre, narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of Hendricks at
UFC 167 and then left the UFC, possibly for good. With the belt now
up for grabs, Hendericks and Lawler will try to snatch the hardware
out of limbo ... Before the main course, another
Strikeforce
welterweight looks to see if he bit off more than he can chew.
Tyron
Woodley talked his way into a high-profile bout against
Carlos
Condit, a onetime Hendricks and St. Pierre victim. The
Albuquerque, N.M., native is promised a title shot of his own
should he defeat Woodley.
The St. Pierre Vacuum: If you saw one UFC
welterweight championship fight the past seven years, you saw them
all. The buildup for each of St. Pierre’s nine consecutive title
defenses consisted of the same formula. Some resurgent veteran or
hot, young prospect wielding the necessary skill set was trotted
out against St. Pierre. “This guy is different,” fans were told. He
has the mental edge, punching power, history, whatever necessary to
defeat the reigning champion. Yet every time out, GSP’s athletic
ability, game planning and preparation resulted in his hand being
raised. Wash, rinse and repeat. Now the division is ripe for
change. GSP dominated Condit,
Nick Diaz,
Josh
Koscheck and others, making rematches a tough sell. Some of the
sport’s most talented fighters were left spinning their wheels
without a direct path to the top. Believable contenders were a rare
commodity. With the title vacant and GSP out of the picture, at
least for now, the division hit the reset button. Woodley,
Jake
Ellenberger,
Jake Shields,
Matt
Brown,
Rory
MacDonald and others are potentially just a few wins away from
a crack at the gold. St. Pierre is surely missed, but his departure
means the weight class can breathe.
Photo: D.
Mandel/Sherdog.com
Lawler looks like a new man.
Lawler’s Journey: Lawler is
fighting for a UFC championship in 2014. Let that sink in for a
moment. In 2004, the rolling Miletich Fighting System slugger was
hailed as the next king of the welterweight division, until a short
right hook from Diaz stopped him short. The southpaw spent the next
decade promotion hopping, filling the role of a reliable power
puncher. His action-first style and decision to compete 15 pounds
above his premium weight class kept him from pushing through as a
true top-10 threat. Once “Ruthless” returned to the UFC in 2013, he
dropped back down to welterweight and reeled off three straight
wins, the run topped off by his halting MacDonald’s five-fight
winning streak. Despite engaging in 33 professional fights since
2001, Lawler is still only 31-years-old -- the same age as
Anderson
Silva when he first won UFC gold.
Useless Fact: When Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer
bellows the names of Hendricks and Lawler, it will be the first
time since Sept. 23, 2006 that a UFC welterweight title fight did
not include St. Pierre. That night,
Matt Hughes
successfully defended the crown against
B.J. Penn, and
GSP was not impressed by his performance.
Violence Meter: The Smartest Guy at the Bar wishes
he had invented Sherdog’s All-Violence Team. Conversations
revolving around which fighters are better at concussing others are
best discussed over a cold draft. However, since Jordan Breen
pulled the trigger first, we will make do here. Hendricks-Lawler
has the potential to be the most two-way violent title fight in
recent memory. Both contenders possess brain-rattling one-punch
power. Their fists are predatory, and the southpaw-versus-southpaw
factor ups the chances of a knockout. Both fighters finish fights
in the opening minutes with the same regularity as back-and-forth
bruising decisions. Comebacks? Check. Momentum? Check. Stakes?
Double check.
Say What: Lawler is a man of few words, as his
answers during post-fight speeches are usually shorter than the
questions. He speaks with his fists and leaves the spotlight for
guys with Mohawks and podcasts. His Tweets, all 206 of them,
consist mostly of retweets of people singing his praises or
motivational quotes he likes. However, during the UFC 171
conference call, he suggested he was ready to bear the
responsibility of being a UFC champion: “Outside the ring, I never
wanted to do the PR and I never wanted to be in the light, nor was
I ready to be in the light. I’m just a quiet guy who loves to
fight. I think now that I’ve matured, I’m ready to take that step
and I’m embracing everything that has to do with being in the UFC.
I’m ready to be out there in front of everyone, and I’m ready to do
what it takes to be a champion.”
Photo: D.
Mandel/Sherdog.com
Sanchez prefers brawls.
Awards Watch: Diego
Sanchez has won six “Fight of the Night” awards over his last
nine appearances inside the Octagon. His opponent,
Myles Jury,
is 13-0 overall and has easily handled his competition so far.
Sanchez is just the guy to push Jury and elevate the games of both
fighters while giving the Dallas crowd all the blood and guts it
wants … Condit is similar to his fellow New Mexican when it comes
to cashing post-fight checks. He has scored six bonuses in seven
fights, mixing in both “Knockout of the Night” and “Fight of the
Night.” His style of fighting even coaxed a “Fight of the Night”
award from a St. Pierre match. If he beats Woodley, it will be in a
blaze of glory …
Dennis
Bermudez may not be “The Ultimate Fighter,” but he has quietly
compiled a 5-0 record since losing to
Diego
Brandao in the Season 14 finale. Look for Bermudez to play
Jim
Hettes’ grappling game just enough to keep things interesting,
all while striking enough to guarantee a win.