RealGM

https://twitter.com/arielhelwani
Dana just said GSP told him I want Nick Diaz. Dana said that's probably the fight we'll make.

Looks like we will finally get it.
My #1 desired fight.

(We can turn this into the fight card thread when they announce it.

@arielhelwani
Dana says Hendricks will fight in the interim. He doesn't want him to wait around.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUlCE_CPsak&feature=plcp[/youtube]

I think Hendricks should fight Pierce or Koscheck again. There are a lot of people (including both fans and so-called pundits) who think he lost both fights and was gifted a judges decision both times. Fighting one of them again and winning would solidify him as a contender and end all the questions about the legitimacy of him claiming to have "cleaned out the division".

GSP is ducking Anderson Silva.

I think Hendricks should get the shot.

Now that that is out of the way, I agree with kdawg. There is definitely something about some guys who seem to get decisions no matter what. Garcia always gets em, Demetrious Johnson as well, and even Hendricks although his fights with Kos and Pierce were both close. Pierce on the other hand, never gets em. A lot of media had him beating Kos AND Hendricks, and that's not even mentioning the splits against Bradley and Rocha that were in reality both 30-27s by Pierce.

Nemesis21 wrote:GSP is ducking Anderson Silva.

Bendo is ducking GSP!

In reality, I never thought the Silva/GSP fight would happen. GSP has never expressed interest in that fight.

REDDzone wrote:I think Hendricks should get the shot.

Now that that is out of the way, I agree with kdawg. There is definitely something about some guys who seem to get decisions no matter what. Garcia always gets em, Demetrious Johnson as well, and even Hendricks although his fights with Kos and Pierce were both close. Pierce on the other hand, never gets em. A lot of media had him beating Kos AND Hendricks, and that's not even mentioning the splits against Bradley and Rocha that were in reality both 30-27s by Pierce.

Agreed, Hendricks should get the shot before Nick Diaz. I mean you're fresh off a suspension and get a title shot?

And a loss. Same with Sonnen. This was predicted awhile back by some on this board iirc.

I am loosing respect for GSP! I mean, he has 3 possible fights and he wants the easiest one in Nick Diaz! It's so sad that this trash talking overrated fighter gets a title fight over Johnny Hendricks, who actually deserves the shot!

UFC is turning into boxing these days! It doesn't matter if you win! Only if you're popular!

I agree that Hendricks was next in line but the consolation prize isn't too bad

We'll get GSP/Diaz in the spring then GSP/Hendricks in the summer

I don't see any reason to be upset about that

UN-Owen wrote:I agree that Hendricks was next in line but the consolation prize isn't too bad

We'll get GSP/Diaz in the spring then GSP/Hendricks in the summer

I don't see any reason to be upset about that

I just think GSP vs Diaz is a massive waste of time from a matchup point of you! GSP is going to pound him for 5 rounds or less..

Diaz shouldn't be in the title fight picture until he wins a couple fights,.

The only GSP fight at 170 anyone wants to see is a Diaz fight. Hendricks is a ho hum contender, Diaz/GSP have a history... gotta do it. And it does nothing to harm GSP's image because THIS is the fight at 170 and no one is calling is Barao a pussy for not fighting Aldo.

GSP will take care of Diaz and then fight Hendricks. I'm cool with this decision. I'm actually glad Diaz gets the shot after Condit pussyfooted around the octagon in their fight and won.

I'm happy with this. I have no interest in GSP vs. Silva anymore.

Two years ago, sure... but I'm over it.

I have a ton of love for dudes willing to move up and take ridic challenges and so on and so forth.

But I have no issues whatsoever for dudes who don't want to. If GSP doesn't want to fight Silva, that's his choice. Silva shouldn't be calling out people unless he wants to fight at their weightclass.

I see a lot of split second KOs and split decisions on Hendricks' record. Very rarely do we see him systematically dominate anyone. What's he going to do when tested? It's sort of the opposite of Nick, with whom we know exactly what to expect. He's going to take dudes apart. I just don't see Johny as head-and-shoulders above the lot. It also would not be the least bit exciting of a build-up...hearing about his power incessantly because that's the only thing that gives him a shot...those sloppy early second run-forwards. GSP will game-plan that right out of the equation. It's not interesting.

GSP would happily fight Anderson at 170. No question. That's the only thing he's obliged to do.

My first reaction when my friend told me this was "good."

Then he reminded me about Johny Hendricks, who I do feel deserves the shot more than Diaz. But the fact that I had to be reminded about Hendricks is probably the reason he's not getting the shot. Could have been just a brainfart, but he still doesn't stir up the same level of interest Diaz does.

The UFC is going after the big money fights from now on, and while sometimes it is going to yield fights like Jones/Sonnen and GSP/Diaz, sometimes those are the fights we want to see anyway, so I can't bash them too hard for it.

In defense of Hendricks' resume, while it's true he hasn't been "tested," I'm not sure how to fix that. He's been thrown in there with guys like Fitch, Koscheck, and Pierce, who are very hard to look good against, and won all 3 fights (albeit not so convincingly in the eyes of some). It's hard to fault him for knocking out a guy like Fitch too early, you know? And questionable decisions or not, who else are you picking to go through those guys and come out 3-0? Hell, Diaz would be lucky to get one win from that group.

I think they could sell the Hendricks fight. I mean, they actually convinced a few people that Dan Hardy was going to have a chance against gsp. There are dudes walking down the street who could probably double leg Hardy.

The intriguing part to me with Hendricks is his wrestling. I know we have heard it all before with Koscheck and Shields, so whatever. Neither Koscheck nor Sheilds have punching power that makes it seem like guys have just been shot with a cannon.

This is the fight I want to see.
GSP vs Hendrix can happen later, but this fight has heat and it is smart to get in on it now.

The UFC is a business, and it needs to generate money for guys to make their money. This is a fight that grows the brand, Hendrix isn't.

GSP will fight Hendrix after Diaz, if Hendrix can't beat someone in the meantime, too bad, means your not as good as you think.