The UFC 167 main event between Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks is much more than just Hendricks’s big left hand versus St-Pierre’s ability to control opponents on the ground.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch UFC 167 preliminary fights on Sportsnet 360 Saturday starting at 8 p.m. EST, watch UFC Central’s UFC 167 pre-fight show at 7 p.m. EST on Sportsnet ONE and catch three bonus prelims on sportsnet.ca at 6:30 p.m. EST
With a win GSP will become the UFC’s all-time leader in wins, passing former welterweight champion Matt Hughes, whom GSP beat twice and lost to once.
And if the fight lasts longer than 39 seconds, GSP will pass B.J. Penn as the fighter that has spent the most total time competing in the UFC’s Octagon.
With that, here is a head-to-toe breakdown of how the UFC 167 headliners stack up heading into their highly anticipated bout.
Tale of the tape
Georges St-Pierre
Height: Five-foot-11
Weight: 170 pounds
Reach: 76 inches
Background: Kyokushin karate
Fighting out of: Quebec
Nickname: “Rush”
MMA record: 24-2
UFC bonuses: Three Knockout of the Night awards, one Submission of the Night.
Johny Hendricks
Height: Five-foot-nine
Weight: 170 pounds
Reach: 69 inches
Background: Wrestling
Fighting out of: Texas
Nickname: “Bigg Rigg”
MMA record: 15-1
UFC bonuses: Three Fight of the Night awards, one Fight of the Night.
Striking & Work Rate
Although many feel that the most dangerous place for St-Pierre to be in this bout is on his feet, the numbers indicate that the Canadian should have a significant advantage in the striking department.
GSP lands 3.75 significant strikes per minute compared to Hendricks’s 3.09 and lands at a higher percentage.
In fact, GSP has landed the most total strikes (2,398) and significant strikes in UFC history (1,153).
On the defensive side of things, GSP is pretty much as good as it gets. He defends 75 per cent of his opponents’ significant strike attempts.
The x-factor though is the one-shot knockout power Hendricks possesses — just ask Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann. Hendricks has nine wins by KO/TKO in his 16 pro bouts, while GSP has just eight wins by KO/TKO in 26 career fights.
Wrestling
In terms of wrestling credentials, Hendricks has a major advantage. The 30-year-old is a two-time NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion and an All American. However, wrestling in MMA is a totally different animal and GSP excels in that medium.
GSP has landed 84 takedowns in the UFC, which is the most all-time, and does so with 75 per cent accuracy. He also has 88 per cent takedown defence that’s good for seventh best in UFC history.
Hendricks is excellent at press his opponent against the cage and using leverage to his advantage, but his takedown accuracy in the UFC is just 53 per cent and his defence is only 63 per cent.
Hendricks lands an average of 5.52 takedowns per 15 minutes spent in the cage; GSP only lands 4.38 takedown per 15 minutes spent in the cage, but he does a much better job of holding his opponents down once he gets the fight to the mat.
Submissions
The Canadian should have a significant advantage in this department.
GSP has attempted 22 submissions in the UFC, or 1.14 submissions every 15 minutes and has five submissions wins in his MMA career.
Hendricks has attempted just five submissions in his entire UFC career and four of them came in his December 2009 bout against Ricardo Funch. He has only one career submission win and it came in his third pro fight back in March 2008.
Betting odds
St-Pierre is nearly a three-to-one favourite, but you could make a pretty penny if you’re confident in Hendricks and he pulls off the upset.
According to OddsShark.com, GSP is listed at -270 and Hendricks is at +210. GSP is typically a much bigger favourite in his fights, which shows that a lot of people think Hendricks will come out victorious.
UFC stars picking GSP: Cain Velasquez, Demetrious Johnson, Anthony Pettis, Wanderlei Silva, Glover Teixeira, Frankie Edgar.
UFC stars picking Hendricks: Chael Sonnen, Carlos Condit, Junior dos Santos, Daniel Cormier, Phil Davis, TJ Grant, Tim Kennedy, Chad Mendes, Brian Stann, Cat Zingano, Michael Bisping, Gray Maynard, Nik Lentz, Ross Pearson.
Common opponents
Both men have fought Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch and are a combined 7-0 against them (GSP defeated Koscheck twice).
GSP was more dominant against Condit and Koscheck than Hendricks was, but their fights against Fitch were polar opposite. GSP dominated for five rounds en route to a decision, but Hendricks KO’d Fitch in just 12 seconds at UFC 141.
Is Hendricks as good as his record?
His record is nothing short of impressive, but three of his wins have come by controversial decision. Hendricks won split decisions over Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce, plus a majority decision over TJ Grant, though many scored those bouts for Hendricks’s opponents.
Many fans seem to have short-term memories when it comes to the UFC 167 headliners. They’re critical of GSP for finishing just one of his opponents since regaining the welterweight title in 2008, yet no one seems to be talking about Hendricks’s close bouts, electing to only focus on his recent knockout wins.
Regardless of who wins, both men are great representatives of MMA and fans are in for a treat at UFC 167.
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