Why didn't GSP pursue a Hendricks rematch?

[Chappi]

GSP mentioned retirement almost 2 years before the Hendricks fight because he felt he was going from training camp to training camp without learning new stuff and he missed being a student of the game.
Within like 2 weeks after he retired, he went to Brasil to study under a Luta Livre master for 3 months or so.
He think he already had his plane ticket to Brasil weeks before the Hendricks fight.
This is all known and documented, no need to make up shit.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

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?

That’s easily one of the most comprehensive, and persuasive arguments I have ever read around here. Pop a beer and have a toast.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

At the end of the day after 10 years, a major ACL reconstruction, being the best welterweight of all time constantly defending the championship, he was just mentally burnt out. Had enough. He’s not required to fight for as long as we would like him to. His career and his decision.

 

[Gio]

Because it was a very tough and dangerous fight for GSP. He got beat up pretty bad, and Hendricks was only going 70%

For the longest time idk why people think this is a compliment. If Johny went in 100% in the first place then we wouldn't be talking about rematches and who retired who. Lol

 

[DrunkMonkMeth]

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

Because he won

 

[Gio]

GSP was already considering and talking about retirement (or "hang my glove for a lil bit") even before the Nick Diaz fight. It was always mentioned here and there in his every interview. He mentioned in Rogan's JRE that the Diaz training camp was the worst that he's ever had coz he was burned out (for all those long years defending and defending the title and doing promotions and media over and over) and mentally he wasn't there. But he still went in there and got the job done. And that could have been his retirement fight. He just gave Hendricks a chance because he believed Johny deserved it (with his impressive win streak) and the fans are begging to see it. Johny fought the worst version of GSP (mentally and motivation wise) but still couldn't beat him convincingly. He had the chance but still left it in the hands of the judges.

 

[MarkyMcFly]

Dude ate himself out of the UFC and fighting in general, but he should've been 3-0 against Lawler and GSP

 

[jitzmonkey]

Bisping? Isn't that the guy who beat Anderson Silva even after being hit with a cheap shot flying knee while the ref distracted him with his mouth piece?

Bisping pointed to it himself, and it was a cheap (legal but still cheap) shot by Silva.

 

[Dirge]

Not saying who won/lost but it's the same way Jones is not pursuing a Reyes rematch..

How would you consider those two situations even remotely similar?

GSP retired because of a lack of drug testing. He did everything under the sun to get Hendricks to take more testing (and surprise he refused). GSP basically said "fuck it" and retired under USADA was firmly underway. Hendricks is literally the worst case of a fighter falling off under USADA.

You think Jones is ducking Reyes to fight Ngannou or Stipe in a weight class he has never competed in?

lol.

 

[Simple Southerner]

Cuz literally

 

[thobra]

First of all, I think this was a GSP that was tired of fighting, struggled with injuries, And was very far from the best version.
GSP had probably planned to retire after this fight for a long time. That also might have affected his performance.

GSP was never a guy to take unnecesary risks. He would never do a rematch with Hendricks.

 

[legcramp]

How would you consider those two situations even remotely similar?

GSP retired because of a lack of drug testing. He did everything under the sun to get Hendricks to take more testing (and surprise he refused). GSP basically said "fuck it" and retired under USADA was firmly underway. Hendricks is literally the worst case of a fighter falling off under USADA.

You think Jones is ducking Reyes to fight Ngannou or Stipe in a weight class he has never competed in?

lol.

damn that narrative actually worked on people but I guess it's easier when you're from Canada..

 

[Shaddows]

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

Anyone at the top for so long, it plays a role in your mind.
Silva commented on it right before losing to Weidman.

For GSP, he had those time lapses and some other things that I think it contributed to his retirement.
Besides, he did movies, he made a lot of money fighting and even while not fighting, he was able to make more (so his return would not be about him needing money).

I don't think it mattered to him about Johnny at that time. He had enough, and he wanted to stop. He just did.
After that, Johnny started losing and there was no point of a rematch.
Probably if Johnny proceeded to dominate the division, he would feel the need to assert himself above Johnny.
But what would be the point to rematch him after he lost to WB, Gastelum & Magny?

 

[Dirge]

damn that narrative actually worked on people but I guess it's easier when you're from Canada..

Were you even watching MMA in 2012?

GSP even offered to pay for Hendricks to get WADA testing and he refused.

What's your grand conspiracy theory? Or are you one of those guys that secretly believes GSP was juicing while actively advocating for better drug testing?

 

[DespicablePeep]

People really believe Hendricks would have a shot? After the GSP fight his career went downhil, he hardly made weight and fought like shit.

It would be Gus x Jones all over again

 

[markg171]

In a rematch GSP would have been finished. Good decision from GSP to retire after fighters were becoming less one dimensional

Hendricks literally hasn't finished or dropped a single fighter since Kampmann in 2012, which was a year prior to GSP. Lol at thinking he'd have finished GSP in a rematch.

Let alone just how stupid this post is just by looking at how bad Hendricks looked post-GSP.

Hendricks peaked around GSP, and couldn't get it done on his best day. He wasn't getting it done post-GSP during his worst days.

 

[skylolow]

He knew he was going to step away before that match. Also I believe he thought that Hendricks is probably the walking poster child at the time in his division for PED use. Which we obviously saw was very big concerning issue with GSP feelings toward the sport.

 

[grimballer]

Were you even watching MMA in 2012?

GSP even offered to pay for Hendricks to get WADA testing and he refused.

What's your grand conspiracy theory? Or are you one of those guys that secretly believes GSP was juicing while actively advocating for better drug testing?

It seems you weren’t watching back then

gsp proposed vada (an unknown Montreal based lab) that he seemed to be affiliated with

hendricks didn’t wanna be tested by gsp and proposed Olympic style testing (Wada) and nsac was on board as well.

At 1st both teams accepted but then team gsp started acting like clowns trying to figure out what’s gonna be tested and when and negotiations fell through

 

[FlyingDeathKick]

Bisping? Isn't that the guy who beat Anderson Silva even after being hit with a cheap shot flying knee while the ref distracted him with his mouth piece?

He's also a guy who was also known as a gatekeeper and considered a fluke/paper champ. Least threatening MW champ there has been. Can't compare prime Silva to the Silva that showed up against Bisping. Prime Silva had 14 finishes in 16 fights, current Silva has 1 win in the past 8 years and it was a controversial split decision. Literally nobody was afraid of Bisping, everybody called him out even before he was the champ. GSP saw it as a very winnable fight which is why he took it.

Silva, Rockhold, Weidman, Souza, Romero etc.. GSP wanted nothing to do with any of them.

 

[listrahtes]

It was long planned as retirement but what imo killed every oportunity for a rematch was how distasteful Dana behaved to GSP. Like a complete jackass.

GSP wanted nothing to do with UFC from that point on.
They shit on their biggest star as soon as the fight was over and never stopped.