Photo Credit: graciemag.com

We have all heard this one before, Johny Hendricks will get the next title shot should he get past Carlos Condit at UFC 158 on Saturday night. And no, the offer does not extend to Condit if he beats Hendricks. You never know though, crazier things have happened before so the only thing we know for sure is that you have to keep winning.

The sad part for Johny Hendricks though is that I think he might lose to Carlos Condit. Condit has this style of fighting that can be very difficult for aggressive fighters. Think about how Condit was able to be effective against Nick Diaz while back-pedaling the whole time. I can see his fight with Hendricks being that way too.

And it sucks because I think Hendricks has what it takes to really challenge GSP. He has the power in his hands and he has the wrestling credentials. I know its a lot to say Hendricks can beat GSP but he at least has a very good chance to do so. Right now in the welterweight division, who is more qualified than  Hendricks?

Ultimately its Hendricks’ hands that give him a big chance against GSP. And yet, as far as he has gotten, he still needs to beat Carlos Condit to get to there. I don’t know if Hendricks has anything left in his tank. You can only prove your doubters wrong for so long before you start to break down as well.

This is the fight business. Not many guys go undefeated for years without suffering a defeat. I just hope Hendricks can get past Condit on Saturday so that he gets to take his rightful place against GSP later on this year. The even more tragic thing we forgot about is that Dana White is working on a super fight for Anderson Silva later this year.

This super fight plan may or may not include GSP. If it does include GSP, then even with a victory Saturday night, Hendricks will still have to sit on the shelf and wait until next year to challenge the champ. There are so many obstacles to Hendricks getting a crack at GSP that I feel bad for him.

I know Hendricks is saying all the right things about not looking past Carlos Condit. Its hard to ignore though when the prize is fighting right after you in the main event of the evening, an event he could have been headlining against GSP. Its cliche to say one fight at a time right now, but that is what Hendricks has to do.

Winning is everything for Hendricks. He just has to have faith that he will get this title shot if he gets past Carlos Condit. The fight game is as much mental as it is physical. The answer is simple, keep knocking guys out and, eventually, you’ll get your shot at the champ. The final hurdle may be Condit in Montreal.

Photo Credit: mixedmartialarts.com

Super fight fever has officially hit the UFC. And no, its not the super fights we were hoping for (ie Anderson Silva vs GSP or Anderson Silva vs Jon Jones). Nope, we are talking about the featherweights and lightweights. Dana White had to appear on UFC Tonight to clear up some of the issues.

First, lets define a super fight. For MMA, its has to be between current UFC champs. Sorry, Aldo vs Edgar was not a super fight although it was close since Edgar was robbed of a decision against Benson Henderson. Sorry Urijah Faber, you against Edgar wouldn’t be considered one either.

Now lets concentrate on the featherweight title picture. Jose Aldo finally agreed to put his title on the line against Anthony Pettis on August 3–we still don’t know where. Since Pettis doesn’t have a title, this isn’t a super fight. Its just a big fight. Apparently, the assumption was that if Aldo beat Pettis he would also get an immediate shot at the lightweight title.

Dana White cleared up the issue saying that Aldo would be given an immediate title shot at lightweight but if he wins, then he must stay at lightweight permanently and vacate his featherweight title. While I think Aldo is good enough to hold titles in both divisions, there would be no way for him to stay active defending both belts, so good call by White.

I think that all but rules out Aldo moving to lightweight unless he felt it was time for him to leave featherweight since he can’t make the weight-cut any longer. I expect, win or lose, Aldo is going to stay at lightweight until he is ready. The same rule will apply to Pettis as well. If victorious against Aldo, Pettis will have to remain at featherweight.

Yesterday, Benson Henderson also came out saying he would like to challenge GSP to a super fight if he is victorious against Gilbert Melendez in April. Dana White shot down that idea real quick although that would be a super fight. Its understandable though, Henderson wants the big pay days. Who better to challenge than the company’s biggest draw?

Don’t get me wrong, Henderson would be a decent matchup for GSP. He is a huge lightweight and would be a decent sized welterweight. But Henderson just isn’t on GSP’s level. Not only that, Henderson has so many challengers waiting for him at lightweight. Lightweight is probably the most stacked division in the UFC right now. Henderson can’t claim any super fights until he cleans out lightweight first.

It was also revealed that Anderson Silva has been itching for a big fights, namely against GSP. There were rumors Silva said he would be willing to fight GSP at 170 lbs. I highly doubt he could make the weight, but if Silva did, there would be nowhere for GSP to hide. Silva was also heard saying that he would fight Jon Jones at 190 lbs.

I have heard so many things coming out of Silva I don’t know what to believe. At this point, I think he should just go for broke and fight Jon Jones while he is still young and inexperienced at 205 lbs. That way he becomes the first man to hold two divisional belts consecutively. GSP is not ready coming off an injury and has new challengers waiting for him.

Silva and Jones have already cleaned out their respective divisions. Dana White even jumped on board saying he would like to see Silva vs Jones later this year in Madison Square Garden. That fight would be huge and should be the only super fight anyone is talking about at this point.

Credit: Sherdog

Yeah thats Nate Marquardt’s leg after he got leg kicked to death by Tarec Saffiedine. Guys, lets just get one thing straight, if you are fighting a guy with good leg kicks, you have to learn to check them. Ask Urijah Faber if you don’t believe me.

Tarec Saffiedine just guaranteed himself a spot in the UFC with his dominating performance against Nate Marquardt. The relatively unknown welterweight was unsure of his place before the fight, now its a mere formality. I doubt Saffiedine will get an immediate shot at GSP though.

What happened to Nate Marquardt? He was guaranteed a fight with GSP had he gotten past Saffiedine. Did he choke? I am not so sure. Perhaps Marquardt did look past Saffiedine when he should have taken the fight seriously. That happens all the time. It won’t be the first, and it definitely won’t be the last time.

I cannot wait to see DC in the octagon. The guy has been on a tear lately. Yeah I know he beat someone named Dion Staring, but still, the guy is legit. Black Fedor is the hottest thing right now. I hope he moves down to light heavyweight where he can wreak havoc with his wrestling and punching power.

Gegard Mousasi showed why he is such a lethal force at 205 lbs. The guy looks like a little nerd but fights like a beast. He doesn’t has the threatening body type either but when he gets you to the ground, its over. Maybe Mike Kyle helped Mousasi out too by looking like a fish out of water when the fight hit the ground.

I know Dana White doesn’t like Josh Barnett too much. Still, it shouldn’t keep White from hiring Barnett’s services. Barnett, even at his age, is still a threat and can bolster the depth of the UFC’s heavyweight division. He made $250k last night in just under three minutes of fighting. Barnett belongs in the octagon.

Source: MMA Weekly

One of the guys I can’t wait to see in the octagon again is Nate Marquardt. I know what you are thinking, the same guy that got destroyed by Anderson Silva? Yeah that guy. He is a different fighter now. And he has dropped to welterweight.

I don’t know why, but the weight drop did wonders for Marquardt’s career. He seems stronger and more dynamic. And he is off TRT which seems a little suspicious. Who cares though because he is back.

A major reason why Marquardt has looked so good could be attributed to lesser competition. Lets face it, Strikeforce isn’t exactly the UFC. Marquardt has been fighting scrubs. Its not to say that he won’t fare well in the UFC.

Lets not forget, Marquardt was a title contender even while in the UFC. I have no reason to believe he won’t be a top 5 welterweight as well. And if he is still champ after this weekend’s final Strikeforce card, a GSP fight could be in his future.

Source: MMA Fighting

Its not a done deal but it looks like Georges St. Pierre will face Nick Diaz at UFC 158 on March 16 in Montreal, Canada. Truthfully, its not the first fight we wanted to see concerning GSP, that would be against Anderson Silva. Its not even the second fight we wanted to see, that would be against Johny Hendricks.

Supposedly, the fight is pending an agreement from Nick Diaz. I don’t think Nick Diaz and his people are foolish enough to turn down the big pay day or have enough honor to turn down the fight. So expect to see GSP return against Nick Diaz in March. Think Ben Henderson vs Nate Diaz but worse for Nick.

Rory MacDonald also received what he asked for, a rematch against Carlos Condit. MacDonald said he was embarrassed by Condit the last time they fought at UFC 115 in June of 2010. There was nothing for MacDonald to be embarrassed about, he was winning the first two rounds before running out of gas. He just wants to avenge his only loss.

The pairing would be perfect if both GSP and MacDonald won, and then faced each other some time later in the year. Of course, both guys are from the same gym and refuse to discuss fighting each other. But I know what Dana White is thinking. He can make it happen. The crazy thing is Rory MacDonald is psycho enough to do it. I would not be surprised.

Update 12/15/2012: Not only has GSP vs Nick Diaz been confirmed for UFC 158, Johny Hendricks vs Jake Ellenberger has also been added. The welterweight heavy card with Johny Hendricks puts him in the bullpen just in case something crazy happens with Nick Diaz again. Knowing that guy, Hendricks has a good chance of filling in.