Why did Wonderboy defeat Hendricks with relative ease while GSP struggled?

He's been chronically hurt the last couple of years and was starting to get marked up, even in the Condit and Diaz fights which he dominated, Georges lost a step and that's a big reason why he doesn't need to come back.

Wonderboy is also an exceptional striker and Hendricks probably isn't familiar with that kind of striking.
 
It's pretty obvious. Now that USADA is in full effect you're gonna see the performance of a lot of guys start falling off. Just watch.
 
machidafan99 said:
GSP has a karate background too. What was the difference?
Was it game plan? Reach/length? Talent?
Did hendricks get worse since his hospital stay?
Thoughts?
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Because styles make fights. The easy answer is because GSP was trying to use his 5 various jabs to set up take downs and wrestle Hendricks whereas Wonderboy wanted to unleash standing offense on Hendricks.
 
Big GSP fan here, but he doesn't strike like Wonderboy. He's never shown this level of kicking game.

I think any GSP we have ever seen would have beaten him, though.
 
ChadWarden said:
Hendricks looked gassed after about 30 seconds and stood in the range of Wondeboy's kicks. The knockout was bound to happen with that stupid gameplan.
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Correction, Wonderboys Power Daddy Long Legs negate range, the whole fucking Octagon is within his range. Just look at it, Hendricks had to take 5 steps forward to get kicked 10 steps back, that's not range, thats fucking dominance.
 
Sonny Qc said:
GSP style chnage so much over the year, he really became a jabber/Wrestler only. Pre-Serra GSP was such an agressive striker
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I dont think so. Really he just started facing better fighters. He wrestled alot in his pre serra days,but why bother wrestling with hughes when you can knock him out. Why strike with Alves when you can take him down? He fought smarter when he had to go 5 rounds all the time,and prevented a serra thing from happening again...but alves,fitch,diaz,hendricks,condit...those guys are all hard to finish,and GSP fought the smart fight against them.
 
It's was a really painful looking beating... No fun at all to get kicked all over the place like that.

GSP didn't do any of that stuff, because he prefers fans to get maximum possible fight time for their money and he likes a bit of controversy... What other reason could there possibly be?
 
ilfirin said:
This. I love me some GSP, but let's not pretend his striking background is even remotely similar to that of Wonderboy. Having done the same sport (not even sure if it was the same style of karate) does not mean you were equally good at it.
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Did you just do a Rubio?
 
I don't think Hendricks prepared for the possibility that the couldn't get inside and wrestle. He saw the Brown fight and figured there same thing would happen. He looked like he was totally unprepared to fight s striking fight.
 
Because its several years later and Hendricks has regressed while the division has evolved?
 
Hendricks fought at full strength against VADA GSP.

USADA Hendricks fought a clean fighter.

Simple.
 
Cry0Therapy737 said:
He's been chronically hurt the last couple of years and was starting to get marked up, even in the Condit and Diaz fights which he dominated, Georges lost a step and that's a big reason why he doesn't need to come back.

Wonderboy is also an exceptional striker and Hendricks probably isn't familiar with that kind of striking.
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Exactly. GSP was already passed his prime when he returned.

He got tagged a lot by even Jake Shields.

He struggled to take Nick Diaz down in the later rounds.

And he arguably lost to Hendricks.

GSP got out right on time. I have zero doubt he would have lost more than once by now if he stayed.

Also whether GSP was on PEDs or not ... at his age ... PEDs is what allows most older fighters to fight like if they are still in their prime. With today's testing ... I dont expect much from older fighters.

Eventually they all will suddenly fight like they are old.
 
GSP fought LHW Hendricks and Wonderboy fought small WW Hendricks.

GSP was past his prime. Wonderboy is not. Hendricks had 2 brutal wars with Lawler before Wonderboy, which he did not have prior to fighting GSP.

The Hendricks that fought GSP is not even close to the same one that fought Wonderboy.
 
Wonderboy striking >>>> GSP or any WW that has stepped in the cage...Wonderboy's early career struggles is stopping grapplers...that has been fixed after the brown fight. He took down Burger and stopped big rigg's td...those are 2 great wrestlers...
 
Johnny Rosa said:
Did you just do a Rubio?
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More a case of shitty wording, should've said credentials rather than background. Point being, even if they trained within the same discipline, Wonderboy did so at a vastly higher level.
i.e. he has way higher level striking.
 
Sonny Qc said:
GSP style chnage so much over the year, he really became a jabber/Wrestler only. Pre-Serra GSP was such an agressive striker
Click to expand...

People complain about GSP after Serra but I would argue that the Serra loss and GSP's changes post-Serra are what propelled him to greatness. After he lost to Serra he finished out his career 12-0, 10 of those fights title fights. All the work he did post-Serra is why he is considered a GOAT contender today. I know this is an unpopular view but the facts remain.
 
He was smaller for this fight than his previous fight his advantage was always his power and size which he lost he also underestimate wonderboy and his reach
 
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