Why didn't GSP pursue a Hendricks rematch?

TheMessiah said:
There's no evidence it was steroids, he never tested positive it could just have been the IV ban and obviously he wasn't disciplined. In fact GSP look like crap against Bisping post usada and also had a HGH gut and 3d shoulders
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GSP failed no PED tests in his MMA career. Johny Hendricks failed no PED tests in his MMA career. But there are 2 points you missed:
1. GSP did enhanced testing in his career while Johny refused after initially agreeing.
2. Johny failed one massive USADA test. His results post USADA in the cage. He could barely make weight missing in 2 of his last 3 WW fights. He was forced to move up to his natural weigh class of MW and still missed weight in 1 of his 3 fights at 185 lbs. He also lost all 3 of his WW fights post USADA and 2 of his 3 MW fights before leaving the UFC and retiring from MMA.
GSP post USADA became a 2 division winning the UFC MW championship.
 
FlyingDeathKick said:
He got beaten into retirement. It's the same reason he'd never fight Silva but had no problem going after Bisping.
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Uhhh he won the Hendricks match (See reality and not your opinion) and Silva had every chance to go to 170 and fight GSP but was too fraidycat to do so lol

Literally, GSP can't stop the fight from happening if Silva goes to 170.... the fight just happens. In the history of combat sports, no fighter has obligation to move outside their weightclass....If Silva wanted the fight so bad, do like TJ Dillashaw did and move to the fucking weight class of the guy you're calling out.

Real talk.
 
dipstickjimmy said:
GSP failed no PED tests in his MMA career. Johny Hendricks failed no PED tests in his MMA career. But there are 2 points you missed:
1. GSP did enhanced testing in his career while Johny refused after initially agreeing.
2. Johny failed one massive USADA test. His results post USADA in the cage. He could barely make weight missing in 2 of his last 3 WW fights. He was forced to move up to his natural weigh class of MW and still missed weight in 1 of his 3 fights at 185 lbs. He also lost all 3 of his WW fights post USADA and 2 of his 3 MW fights before leaving the UFC and retiring from MMA.
GSP post USADA became a 2 division winning the UFC MW championship.
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Gsp refused WADA testing against Condit. Gsp strangely only had one fight post usada where he looked visibly gassed and his top control wasn't as good as usual. Hendricks was clearly affected by the IV ban, his power didn't hold up at MW and he also had a war with Lawler
 
GSP was on an entirely different wavelength in terms of his career, where he was at mentally etc. Jonny Hendricks was not relevant to GSP in any way in terms of making life decisions. He was done after that fight, win, lose or draw. If he was simply afraid of Hendricks he could have just left for a couple of years and come back to fight someone else. Instead he fought 1 time in 8 years and it isn't by accident that it was a fun, low-ish risk, high reward type deal. And a one off. He was done as a fighter.

Imagine you are set up for retirement, going crazy at work, hating life and need a change, then something relatively minor changes at work or you kill a big sale or make a brilliant presentation etc. It isn't going to impact your decision to retire.
 
AmericanMMA said:
This is what tarnishes his legacy.

That fight was a clear win for Hendricks. GSP should have done the rematch before retiring. Retiring the way he did makes it look like he dominated every fighter he fought, finally fights someone who can give him a run for his money and then retires.
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Tarnish is a pretty heavy word to use.

You can say every single person's legacy is more tarnished than GSP's then.

Fedor lost 3 in a row at age 33-35 as a HW, one being to a MW/LHW Hendo. Jones lost to Reyes just as much or more than GSP did to Hendricks + steroids. Silva was finished and clearly beaten by Weidman twice, lost to Sonnen for 99% of a fight, and popped for steroids. Aldo dodged testers and was KO'd by McGregor in 5 seconds then lost to Holloway twice, and Volk, and Moraes...and Yan.

DC lost to Jones twice never avenged, lost to Stipe twice in a row. Cruz lost to Garbrandt in embarrassing fashion, finished by Cejudo. Mighty Mouse lost to McCall but the judges fucked it up, he lost to Cejudo, faced poor competition at 125. Penn lost a ton of fights, you can go revisionist on his and Silva's strength of competition easily.

So even if GSP did lost to Hendricks or it was a draw, or it was a coin flip either way. How can you say it "tarnishes" his legacy? The guy defended the WW title 9 times, he won it twice, he won the MW title off a 4 year layoff. He avenged both of his losses to Hughes/Serra. So even if he lost to Hendricks, which he didn't according to a 10-9 must system (this isn't Pride), then I guess everyone else's legacy sucks dick in comparison?
 
ThunderStruck said:
Still looked far better than Bisping's previous 5 opponents, which included Silva, Hendo and Rockhold.
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Anderson was past his prime and ko'd him but the ref saved Bisping. 50 year old Hendo, and Rockhold underestimated him after destroying him in the first fight. What's more embarrassing is that Bisping avoided guys like Yoel Romero but instead went with 50 year old Henderson and GSP
 
TheMessiah said:
Anderson was past his prime and ko'd him but the ref saved Bisping. 50 year old Hendo, and Rockhold underestimated him after destroying him in the first fight. What's more embarrassing is that Bisping avoided guys like Yoel Romero but instead went with 50 year old Henderson and GSP
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Funny how you seem to have an excuse for everything. Your favourite book must be Hendrick's book of excuses.
 
Azeroth Adventurer said:
I remember thinking to myself that despite what GSP said about retiring post fight that he would go after Hendricks in a rematch to clear any doubt but he didn't come back. GSP never said anything about peds and testing during the earlier part of his career which everyone knows that ped usage was far more easier to get away with. I feel like GSP retiring at that point was for reasons other than just the whole ped testing situation. I always thought that GSP couldn't be out for longer than 2 years but he didn't come back until 2017
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GSP retired because he felt drug testing was inadequate at the time. USADA was still almost 2 years away and wasn't even on the radar yet. He offered to pay for more comprehensive testing for Hendricks prior to their fight. GSP himself took the testing and while Hendricks initially agreed he later backed out of it.

GSP returned once USADA was firmly established and given hendricks went 1-5 missing weight 4 times under USADA I'd say GSP was right.
 
Azeroth Adventurer said:
I remember thinking to myself that despite what GSP said about retiring post fight that he would go after Hendricks in a rematch to clear any doubt but he didn't come back. GSP never said anything about peds and testing during the earlier part of his career which everyone knows that ped usage was far more easier to get away with. I feel like GSP retiring at that point was for reasons other than just the whole ped testing situation. I always thought that GSP couldn't be out for longer than 2 years but he didn't come back until 2017
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In addition to others' comments on wanting to retire, etc.. he'd spoke about testing for a while. And since Hendricks fell off significantly after increased testing, GSP may've been on to something.
 
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Not saying who won/lost but it's the same way Jones is not pursuing a Reyes rematch..
 
Besides the fact he got beat up and won a pretty controversial decision, the winner of a fight simply isn't obligated to pursue the loser quite like you have it envisioned.
 
Winners don't usually pursue rematches. Losers do.
Not saying who really won or lost that particular fight, just that there was no reason to expect GSP to seek a rematch.
 
Blayt7hh said:
His retirement was preplanned. He was retiring that might win lose or draw. He was burnt out and having mental problems
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This...and you could see it in his demeanour before and after. That was not the same GSP who ruled the division for years and was passionate about doing so. He needed to get out.

All the 'he knew he wouldn't win' or 'he would have been stopped next time' is pure speculation. Obviously Hendricks had the skill set that made him one of GSP's toughest opponents, but it's not like Hendricks was invincible...and it is foolish to believe that GSP and his team would not have made changes.

GSP was clearly not in the right frame of mind to compete at the level he needed to be, in order to remain on top...and that is not good if you are champ and always fighting top contenders, along with the pressure of being one of the UFC's biggest stars/draws. He was smart enough to know he needed to step away.
 
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