Rumors? Such as Zahabi outright denying retirement and GSP claiming he had a superfight in mind? Also, clear mental decline? What the fuck are you talking about? Are you good friends with GSP's therapist or something? There is absolutely no proof of GSP suffering a 'mental decline'. GSP outright said 'I thought Hendricks lost to Koscheck' and didn't give him a title shot.
Like GSP's mentor telling him to retire, like GSP cfonstantly talking about how he wanted to start his own life and was tired of his training camps. GSP was clearly getting tired of the fight game, he even said it himself that he was getting very tired of all of his rigorous training camps. Read between the lines, GSP wanted a money fight with Diaz, Hendricks wanted to stay active, so they gave him a fight with Ellenberger (who really isn't that good IMO), and then Condit jumped in after a Berger injury.
People claimed that Hendricks wasn't good enough because they didn't want to admit he was a legitimate challenge to St. Pierre's title. He had 4 top 10 wins and had knocked out 2 top 5 opponents in the 1st round. GSP is not past his prime at the age of 32 with 27 fights, especially considering how he's touted for not receiving damage.
If they did claim that Hendricks wasn't a worthy title challenger or a good fighter, they were clearly quite wrong. Honestly, it's the same as how few people gave Weidman or Werdum a chance, when you've been the man for so long, people tend to forget that you're vincible. Hendricks was a hella worthy contender and a very good fighter, and he showed up even better than people had expected (his splits with Pierce, and Koscheck had left a little doubt in the mind of others). Hell, I thought Hendricks was going to give GSP his toughest fight yet. Like I said, people who were claiming it would be an easy 50-45 were just lazy, preferring to side with the popular opinion, rather than make any effort to analyze the fight and see how GSP had clearly declined. And yes, I've already proven that GSP was past his prime. You have actually done nothing to counter my argument. Hard training camps with lots of wrestling, ACL tears (something which you have the knack for ignoring), countless fights which were long, grueling decisions. Perhaps his chin wasn't shot, but his explosiveness, cardio and athleticism had taken a hit. Look at the Diaz fight: gassing, struggling on takedowns etc... that's not a GSP trademark. Again, you have done nothing to refute my argument, you've just pointed to GSP being youngish and having less fights than Anderson. People start and end prime at different ages, hell, it is widely suggested that Muhammad Ali was past his physical prime by the time he was 28 and fighting again. GSP is past his best, I think you need to realize that (I think you already do actually, you just wish he weren't).
That's a nice bit of revisionist history right there. A lot of people, MMA analysts and fans alike, were wondering when Anderson would show up and look his age. In fact, a lot of people before the Weidman fight were claiming how old Anderson is starting to look. He wasn't as fast against Okami, Sonnen, or Bonnar but he was so damn good he still beat them and finished them convincingly. No one thought GSP was past his prime until after the Hendricks fight. He had convincingly beaten Condit and Diaz (a fighter who many GSP fans thought was his biggest threat)
revisionist history? As I remember it, lots of people were saying Anderson by brutality. Nobody thought Anderson could be knocked out, and people didn't trust Weidman's gas tank. And frankly, I legitimately can't remember a single person outright saying that Anderson had looked old and past his best until after his losses to Weidman. People were actually claiming that Anderson was simply getting better with age (and why not? He had just beaten a large, respectable LHW in Bonnar like a child). As for GSP, I won't deny that he won the Condit and Diaz fights convincingly in that the decision was clear, but let's be real, if you actually watched the fights (more the Diaz fight in particular), you'll notice slips in GSP's game: gassing, struggling for takedowns, even getting outstruck in parts of the rounds. Not to mention the fact that he was within spitting distance of his ACL tear (which you conveniently like to forget), all point to GSP not quite being at his best.
