Was Johny Hendricks Robbed At UFC 167 Main Event?
Following my UFC 167 aftermath post, it’s time to check out the Fight Metric report for UFC 167’s main event. Georges St-Pierre retained his title after a five round thriller against Johny Hendricks in Las Vegas, scoring a razor thin decision and raising many questions about MMA judging on the way.
It is always hard to score a close decision in favor of the challenger; time and time again we see these close decisions go the way of the champion, but any combat sport expert will tell you that the belt has to be taken. I know that is hard for any Hendricks fan to digest, but it is true nonetheless.
Hendricks put in a valiant performance against a dominant force in GSP, and very nearly took home the marbles. He was unfortunate to be judged by the same clown that scored Rory MacDonald the winner against Robbie Lawler. I’d like to sit here and pick apart MMA judging all day, but that doesn’t change much.
All we can do is say, once again, that leaving it to the judges is never a good idea. Guys like Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Ben Henderson and many others know how to win fights on the scorecards. Coaches like Firas Zahabi and Greg Jackson train guys on how to win decisions, so a convincing win or a finish is what is needed when you step in against guys like that.
There was too much left open for debate in the wake of St-Pierre vs. Hendricks, and it would have proved just as controversial had Hendricks got the nod. That being said, check out Fight Metric’s account of the fight and tell me what you think:
