MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Georges St-Pierre retained his welterweight championship after notching a controversial split decision victory over top contender Johny Hendricks Saturday in Las Vegas (Sunday in Manila).
St-Pierre took down Hendricks early in the first round but it was one of the few highlights of the round for St-Pierre, as Hendricks pressured him the rest of the way and landed the harder blows. The champion was bleeding by the second round as Hendricks’ powerful left hand began to find its mark.
His effort in the first two rounds may have tired Hendricks, however, as St-Pierre controlled the third round, landing shots with both hands. They split the championship rounds, with Hendricks scoring more in the fourth while St-Pierre seemingly clinched the fifth.
St-Pierre clearly sustained more damage than Hendricks, as the challenger’s face was nearly unmarked while St-Pierre bled profusely.
The judges, however, saw the bout in St-Pierre’s favor, 48-47, 48-47, and 47-48.
It was the 12th consecutive win for the 32-year-old St-Pierre, who hiked his MMA record to 25-2 after the victory.
“This was my toughest fight,” St-Pierre said, adding that he needs to take a vacation from the sport. “I have a bunch of stuff in my life happening. I need to hang up my gloves… I have to go away for a little bit.”
Hendricks, meanwhile, collapsed to the mat after hearing the decision and said he believes he should have won.
“I thought I clearly won the fight… I just earned the belt but it was taken away from me,” he said.
In the co-main event, former light-heavyweight champion “Suga” Rashad Evans made short work of Chael Sonnen, beating the former middleweight contender in the very first round.
Evans landed vicious ground and pound against Sonnen, who was belly-down on the canvas. Sonnen tapped out at the 4:05 mark.
“It’s been a long time since I finished a fight in the first round,” said Evans. “I know how tough Chael is, and what he is capable of, so I expected the fight could go the full rounds.”
“He hit me so hard in there,” Sonnen admitted. “I couldn’t believe the amount of power he was able to generate.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
