Literally nothing from GSP hurt Johny Hendricks last night. Hendricks beat up GSP for five rounds with hard shots. In a sport that prides itself on being the definitive representation of competitive fighting, any fans who say GSP should’ve won because he scored more points, should realize they are counting halfhearted jabs over significant strikes.
I’m not concerned about GSP winning a fight he was clearly losing, or Hendricks being robbed of his belt, or even all the fans who feel Hendricks was robbed. I’m concerned with the judges who awarded an MMA fight to a man over points, not according to the obvious one-sided beat down that occurred. This is not boxing and sure as hell isn’t karate. Both men left everything they had in the cage. They deserve better from judges and the fans.
Judges and fans alike need to start using common sense and begin evaluating fights from a clearer perspective. If a fighter is chasing down his opponent and landing solid shots throughout the duration of the bout, that’s whose winning a fight, regardless of a high ratio of counter jabs or the occasional take down.
The UFC was more than excited to celebrate its brief but successful twenty year history last night at UFC 167, yet what seemed more prevalent after the event took its course last night was a tangible feeling of fear of the UFC becoming a point fighting system over the next twenty years of its existence.
GSP has accomplished everything the sport has to offer except one thing, immortality. He was always going to lose. This was self-evident in last night’s performance, at least until the verdict was read by Bruce Buffer, and GSP was awarded a split decision victory.
“Did you see Georges get smashed and hurt in the first round?” said Dana White at the post fight presser. “It’s about damage. This is a fight. It’s about whoever inflicts the most damage. He got hurt, he got wobbled, he got dropped. Yah I’m blown away Georges St Pierre won that fight. And listen I’m a promoter. He’s the biggest pay per view star on the fucking planet for me, and I still don’t think he won that fight. I want what’s fair and that wasn’t fair. I think the Nevada State Athletic Commission is atrocious. I think the Governor needs to step in immediately before these guys destroy this sport like they did boxing.”
Now I’ve stated why I believe this is a problem with the judges. The problem I have with the fans that cater to point fighting is how dangerously close they come to negatively influencing the sport.
If fighters are able to win fights and build fan bases solely on accumulating points, GSP won’t be the worst of it. Expect entire divisions being ran by point fighting tacticians with penchants for running around and flitting in for an occasional brush with their opponent. I might sound dramatic, but if point fighting becomes an acceptable ideal, the sport will remember the champions it has now in the future, and not benefit from the ones it could’ve celebrated in the present.