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GSP taking extended leave. I have also read that UFC has a champion clause that you cannot retire with the belt/undefeated, not sure if it is rumour or fact. Personally I would be a fan of that clause, I like a clear transition/dynasty between champions.

Oh well, looking forward to Lawler vs Hendricks however.
 
100action said:
GSP taking extended leave. I have also read that UFC has a champion clause that you cannot retire with the belt/undefeated, not sure if it is rumour or fact. Personally I would be a fan of that clause, I like a clear transition/dynasty between champions.

Oh well, looking forward to Lawler vs Hendricks however.
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Can't wait to see Lawler vs Hendricks. I hope GSP takes as long as he needs and doesn't feel pressured into coming back eventually if he ends up deciding that he's done fighting. I'd love to see him back but only if he wants to come back.

I doubt that clause is true as Dana White was saying how GSP has to retire or defend the belt, which is funny since he did neither in the end. I hate that clause. You should be able to retire whenever you want to. By that clause can GSP now retire since he's not the champion? If he can then the clause is easily worked around anyway.
 
red+black said:
You shouldn't be allowed to take forever off like Cruz and keep the belt.
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I agree with that, but I also agree with

BradWCE said:
You should be able to retire whenever you want to.
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He vacates the title. Just rubs more salt in Johnny Hendricks :p

With GSP out, Do you think that the next champion will hold the belt for a while or do you think the title will change hands to a few fighters. It opens up the whole division. We might even see some fighters come up or go down now that GSP is gone. :D
 
red+black said:
You shouldn't be allowed to take forever off like Cruz and keep the belt.
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By the time he fights Barão in February, it will have been two years and four months since Cruz's last fight. I know they had the defense against Urijah Faber lined up after they did TUF together, and didn't expect him to need the second surgery he had in late 2012, but that's a huge period of time to have a guy holding up the belt. I know he earnt the title, and I know they can easily put in place an interim champion in his absence, but I think there needs to be a rule that requires you to vacate the belt if you can't make a defence within 12 months of your last fight. Just prevents whole divisions from being in the sort of limbo that both the Bantamweight and Welterweight (when GSP was out with his knee injury) classes have been in the last couple of years.
 
Kinda feel sorry for whoever is the next WW champion, because they will always have that question hanging over them 'could they ever beat GSP'.

Even though many people thought Hendricks beat GSP it will go down in the record books as a loss for him.

As for GSP if he doesn't return after about a year, I don't really see him coming back to fighting.
 
BTW, Robbie Lawler is being severely overrated by many on the internet, and giving him a fight for the Welterweight title does nothing to help that. He's really not that good. A split decision win over Rory MacDonald, a KO of unranked Bobby Voelker and a KO of an unranked Josh Koscheck should not be the path to a title shot. I suppose they think Hendricks vs. Lawler will be an exciting slug fest, but Big Rigg is obviously superior, so I think giving him an easier fight for the title might just be a concession to the arguably iffy decision he got against GSP.

I'd be doing Hendricks vs. Carlos Condit again for the title, and have Lawler really test himself against either Jake Shields or Demian Maia next up.

As much as I like Nick Diaz, he shouldn't be in the discussion at this point either. He's fought for the title twice in the past two years (both for losses), and it's up in the air whether he even wants to be in the sport anymore, so I think he needs one or two regular wins to put himself back in the title picture.

Would like to see the UFC sign Ben Askren as well. I know his style is the kind of thing Dana White hates, but he's still relatively young in the sport, is developing his stand-up game, and is still undefeated. Signing him and throwing him in against Matt Brown would be an intriguing match-up.
 
BradWCE said:
Can't wait to see Lawler vs Hendricks. I hope GSP takes as long as he needs and doesn't feel pressured into coming back eventually if he ends up deciding that he's done fighting. I'd love to see him back but only if he wants to come back.

I doubt that clause is true as Dana White was saying how GSP has to retire or defend the belt, which is funny since he did neither in the end. I hate that clause. You should be able to retire whenever you want to. By that clause can GSP now retire since he's not the champion? If he can then the clause is easily worked around anyway.
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Hendricks vs Lawler would be interesting as both are southpaws, thus nullfiying any strategic advantages. It comes down to whether Hendricks utilises his wrestling and takedowns to compensate for the higher striking output of Lawler. Carlos Condit surely has to be considered a chance to take the belt. His fight against Hendricks being a very close fight and he was able to effectively use his length to out strike Hendricks catching him a couple times with a rear leg head kick.

After Brock Lesnar retired GSP has been by far the biggest and most profitable fighter for the UFC and he has more than paid his dues. If he wants to take indefinite leave he must relinquish the belt but I don't think he will return any time soon. He has taken more damage in his last three fights than all of his other fights combined:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ufc-joe-rogan-believes-georges-st-pierre-suffered-190100645--mma.html

I'd rather see GSP never return than see what happened to Ali where he kept fighting to support his lifestyle with dire consequences.
 
Damon_3388 said:
BTW, Robbie Lawler is being severely overrated by many on the internet, and giving him a fight for the Welterweight title does nothing to help that. He's really not that good. A split decision win over Rory MacDonald, a KO of unranked Bobby Voelker and a KO of an unranked Josh Koscheck should not be the path to a title shot. I suppose they think Hendricks vs. Lawler will be an exciting slug fest, but Big Rigg is obviously superior, so I think giving him an easier fight for the title might just be a concession to the arguably iffy decision he got against GSP.
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On the UFC 167 thread I expressed a similar sentiment about Lawler before his fight against MacDonald only to be proven wrong. He does have a poor strikeforce record (3-5 with a some poor results at middleweight) but much like Hendricks he was able to counter the jab of his opponent. Condit vs Lawler with the winner to fight Hendricks for the title would be a good plan as there aren't any other top welterweights that have beaten ranked opponents as of late.
 

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dytronik said:
On the UFC 167 thread I expressed a similar sentiment about Lawler before his fight against MacDonald only to be proven wrong. He does have a poor strikeforce record (3-5 with a some poor results at middleweight) but much like Hendricks he was able to counter the jab of his opponent. Condit vs Lawler with the winner to fight Hendricks for the title would be a good plan as there aren't any other top welterweights that have beaten ranked opponents as of late.
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If you're going that way, I'd prefer Condit vs. Shields and Maia vs. Lawler myself.
 
Damon_3388 said:
If you're going that way, I'd prefer Condit vs. Shields and Maia vs. Lawler myself.
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That sounds good but I would replace Maia with Matt Brown because I think Maia needs another win at welterweight against a striker before I'd put him in title contention.
 
dytronik said:
That sounds good but I would replace Maia with Matt Brown because I think Maia needs another win at welterweight against a striker before I'd put him in title contention.
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Matt Brown hasn't beaten anyone ranked during his streak either.

Another idea I like would be Maia vs. Matt Brown, and Lawler vs. Jake Ellenberger, plus the aformentioned Condit vs. Shields.

Not sure why they're having Shields dick around with Hector Lombard at UFC 171. Would also prefer to see MacDonald take on Martin Kampmann, instead of MacDonald/Maia that we're getting at UFC 170.

EDIT: Didn't realise Brown was set to face Condit tomorrow That's been scrapped now though because Brown has a back injury. TBH, I'd scrap the Shields/Lombard match and definitely book Condit/Shields, with the winner getting Hendricks in a title fight.
 
Damon_3388 said:
Not sure why they're having Shields dick around with Hector Lombard at UFC 171. Would also prefer to see MacDonald take on Martin Kampmann, instead of MacDonald/Maia that we're getting at UFC 170.
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Lombard is on big money and hasn't really proved his worth since crossing from Bellator. Shields is a test to see whether Lombard can make a run at the title after struggling at middleweight against the bigger bodies.

MacDonald needs to show something as he is being accused of being a points fighter. He looked very good in his fight against BJ Penn without going in for the kill however he needs to do show more impetus in finishing fights like he did against Che Mills. Condit for example has had fight night bonuses in 6 of his last 7 fights which curries favour with Joe Silva and Dana White.

MacDonald has been given a dangerous jiu jitsu submission artist in Maia because like his teammate Francis Carmont (who faces Jacare Souza at UFC Fight Night 36) to prevent them using lay and pray tactics to win. This forces MacDonald to be more aggressive on the ground or face the prospect of being relegated to the undercard. But he could still use his jab and fight boring like he did against Ellenberger

I would like Kampmann to fight MacDonald but I feel Kampmann isn't in the best form currently and it would be a step back for MacDonald due to the fact that Kampmann has lost his past two fights and his previous two wins where miraculous comebacks (especially against Thiago Alves). Now that St-Pierre has stepped aside MacDonald has to prove he can beat the best.
 
Damon_3388 said:
so I think giving him an easier fight for the title might just be a concession to the arguably iffy decision he got against GSP.
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Spot on I would think. A little bit a love from the Dana

It still sets up for a good fight. Two southpaws with one punch KO power
 
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