At Saturday’s UFC on FOX, Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks fought to a very close and controversial split decision that went the way of Hendricks.
A new guest blogger, Matt Carson of The Cheap Seats sports blog, joins the fray to debate Dwight Wakabayashi over who should have gotten the judges’ nod and what’s next for each fighter.
Cast your votes as to whose arguments you like better…
WHO SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE DECISION?
Wakabayashi: Koscheck did just enough to earn the win
In last week’s point-counterpoint article, I predicted the Koscheck-Hendricks fight would be won by split decision and that’s exactly what happened. Only, it went to the wrong guy.
I scored the first round of the fight to Koscheck. I felt he pressured Hendricks back to the cage and had centre control for most of the round. He stalked, cut Hendricks off and loaded up on his dreaded right hand for most of the round. Hendricks on the other hand was preoccupied by an early eye poke, and was just getting warmed up.
The second round I clearly gave to Hendricks. He started to get off first with the left, push forward and when the two locked up in the clinch, he scored the bigger shots. The damage started to show on Koscheck.
In the third, each fighter came out to get it and pushed the action, and each other. Both fighters landed some significant strikes, although Johny did look the fresher of the two and probably landed a few more than Kos but there was nothing significant. I still had the fight up for grabs until the very last exchange where Koscheck finally grabbed a hold of Hendricks and muscled him down to the floor. The fight ended with Koscheck in total top control on Hendricks. That was the difference.
I predicted Koscheck would using his strength and top control to eke out a decision, and in the end I feel he did. Unfortunately for him (and me), two judges didn’t.
The only way Hendricks won that fight is if the judges had already given him round one and two and that wasn’t the case. The only judge who saw it my way was ex-UFC fighter turned judge Ricardo Almeida, and with all the judging mishaps over the years, I’ll take an ex-fighter’s eye any day.
Carson: Hendricks won by a hair (or, a takedown)
Hendricks came into the fight riding the triumphant blasting of Koscheck’s friend and ex-teammate Jon Fitch and, it was obvious from the start he was hoping lightning could strike twice.
I gave the hard-fought first round to Hendricks, despite Koscheck’s “inadvertent” eye-poke early on that had the Texan reeling. Some great mid-round wrestling and clinch work helped to put Hendricks back in the black and it was capped off by solid striking attempts in the final minute.
Hendricks came for the second round like he was shot out of a canon, throwing combination double overhand lefts to continuously back Koscheck across the Octagon. Kos scored when a scramble resulted in him nearly taking Johny’s back, but Hendricks worked out of it and back to his feet to land more damage. The fighters seemed content with using each other’s heads for target practice, as the remainder of the round seemed to degenerate into a haymaker contest.
The final round I gave to Koscheck despite the fact that Hendricks hard work for the previous two rounds was written all over Josh’s face. Hendricks was winning the exchanges on their feet and in the clinch early on, but the key to this round for Kos was the late takedown/positioning he achieved in order to finish the fight on top.
In rounds one and two, Hendricks not only edged Koscheck in significant strikes (18-14 and 23-5 respectively), but he also attempted three takedowns in each round to Koscheck’s zero, landing one in each frame. By the time Josh Koscheck finally woke up in the third and got his lone takedown, it was too little, too late.
It was a back-and-forth war that could have gone either way, but I for one agree with the judges’ decision.
POLL:
Whose case do you like better?
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR HENDRICKS?
Wakabayashi: He didn’t impress enough to jump to the top
I agree that the fight was close and Hendricks fought hard enough to get a judges’ nod, but he really didn’t impress or perform enough to vault up to a title shot.
The way I see it, you have an injured GSP, suspended Nick Diaz and interim champ Carlos Condit above all the rest in the welterweight division. Then you have the next tier who are just below and striving to be the next No. 1 contender. This group includes the likes of Jake Ellenberger, Martin Kampmann and now possibly Johny Hendricks, replacing Koscheck in that group and knocking Koscheck down to the third tier with the likes of Jon Fitch and possibly even Rory MacDonald.
We have some odd numbers to sort out, and here is how I see it making the most sense for the division:
The winner of the Ellenberger-Kampmann fight on June 1 should get bumped to the top tier and join the big three to sort out the title in 2012. That would leave the loser standing alone with Hendricks.
That fighter who was somewhat mediocre against Koscheck on Saturday would never beat Diaz, Condit or GSP. That leaves one fight for Hendricks next: the loser of Ellenberger-Kampmann.
Carson: He should fight once more before a title shot
After narrowly defeating yet another top welterweight prospect last Saturday night, it appears Hendricks wants to sit back, hold his spot in line and wait for the next shot at the UFC’s welterweight gold.
One problem, with the whole GSP-Condit-Diaz situation, he might be waiting a long time. Some also argue that Hendricks hasn’t done enough to even warrant a title shot yet. His flash knockout victory of Jon Fitch last December may have served proof of Fitch’s decline rather than his own rising star.
But definitely earned the consideration for a title shot with his victory over Koscheck, no matter how close or controversial it might have been. So the most logical step in my opinion would be to have Hendricks fight the Ellenberger-Kampmann winner sometime in October or November. That could really set up a No. 1 contender matchup, and really build a strong case for whoever of three emerges victorious.
I understand the benefits of waiting for the shot you feel you have earned, why would you want to lose your place in line for a paycheque?
That being said, as a young fighter Johny Hendricks should jump at taking every fight he can have before they lock him in the cage with the likes of GSP or Carlos Condit. As they say, experience is the best teacher.
POLL:
Whose case do you like better?
$(“#poll_9683”).v2Poll({poll_id: 9683});
WHAT’S NEXT FOR KOSCHECK?
Wakabayashi: He may indeed be that gatekeeper
Despite his own protests to the contrary, Koscheck’s perfomance on Saturday night did look a level down from what we have seen to date from the colourful tough guy. I don’t think it is an “old” thing, as Koscheck did not appear to be tired at all in the fight. It’s more of a damaged goods and a lost swagger that I feel has knocked him down a peg.
I know from experience the fear and uncertainty that comes with a major eye injury, as I had retina surgery a couple years ago, and will never be able to spar or take a shot to the eye again without fearing I will lose it. I believe that Koscheck feels this fear, and it has affected his game.
The loss to Hendricks, controversial or not, knocks him down and out of the welterweight top-5 arguably for the first time in years. He’s now right in gatekeeper range with the likes of his buddy Jon Fitch, and even BJ Penn if he returns. Koscheck won’t fight Fitch and who knows when or in what division Penn will return in so that leaves only a couple fights at 170.
Personally, I have been calling for Rory MacDonald vs. Koscheck for some time now. I knew Rory would make quick work of Che Mills and fighters of his level. MacDonald needs a step up now. If Koscheck stays in the welterweight division, I say Rory MacDonald in Toronto.
Carson: A title shot could still be in his sights
With two unimpressive showings in a row, a sloppy split-decision victory over Mike Pierce and his most recent loss to Hendricks, Koscheck is at a turning point in his career. His star is still floating around the top 10 of the division and he needs to string together a few dominant wins to continue to be mentioned with the likes of GSP and Carlos Condit.
Kos is probably most famous for his reality TV antics inside The Ultimate Fighter house during season one or all of his trash talk leading up to his fights. That being said, the frizzy-haired 170-pounder has still managed to string together a pretty respectable record over the last seven years in the UFC and has served his part to test a lot of the up-and-coming young fighters on their rise to the top. He deserves to get back to fighting veterans already at his level.
The first name that comes to mind is Diego Sanchez. This fight would be a highly marketable rubber match of sorts, as the two men have met twice before, once during The Ultimate Fighter, and again at UFC 69. Sanchez might jump at the chance to rematch his former reality TV co-star as their first exhibition fight, which he won, didn’t even count toward their professional records.
A win for either Sanchez or Koscheck would work to elevate their status in the division. For Sanchez a chance at revenge and relevancy in the talent rich division, for Koscheck a chance to get his career back on track toward his long campaigned third crack at GSP.
POLL:
Whose case do you like better?
$(“#poll_9684”).v2Poll({poll_id: 9684});
Dwight Wakabayashi is a featured columnist for BleacherReport.com and a writer/analyst for MMACanada.net.
Matt Carson is an MMA writer for TheCheapSeats.ca and host of Split Decision.
