Morning Report: Dana White says lack of contenders for Georges St-Pierre reason enough for immediate rematch with Johny Hendricks

Speaking with media during his UFC 167 post-fight scrum Saturday night, UFC president Dana White touched on some future plans for champions Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and discordant welterweight challenger, Johny Hendricks.

Jones, who was officially booked last week to face Glover Teixeira Feb. 1, 2014 at UFC 169, pulled out of the event just a day later. "We're still working on that," said White. "Jon Jones went back into the gym and didn't feel good. Said his legs were still bothering him, his eye is bothering him. He's still banged up from that fight. Fight wasn't that long ago. It's like being in a car accident."

Injury woes continue at heavyweight. With Velasquez currently shelved with a shoulder injury, White still has hopes for the heavyweight champ to defend his title to Fabrício Werdum in Mexico City, with Dallas, TX being another option. "I think if he's healthy we're going to do Mexico," said White. "I'd love to have him fight in both if we could. If I have to pick one, I'm picking Mexico."

Jokingly alluding that Dallas could be the site of an immediate rematch between St-Pierre and Hendricks, White was asked what made this situation different from Jones' recent title defense to Alexander Gustafsson. After initially endorsing rebooking the pair straight away, White changed his tune just days later.

"The situation was different with that one because Jon said, 'I already beat him. Now I want to fight Glover Teixeira.' He goes, 'I'll give him the rematch after.' Jon had this plan where he wanted to beat another contender and then he'd do the rematch. I respected that. Who's Georges [St-Pierre] going to fight?"

Pressed again as to why St-Pierre couldn't simply turn around and make the same argument about moving forward after beating another tough contender, White in turn asks, 'who would be next?'

"I wanna fight who? He already fought [Carlos] Condit. Johny [Hendricks] deserves this rematch. Every fight is different. You can't look at other situations and go, 'but in this fight...' Every fight is different. Johny Hendricks deserves this rematch."

White says fans will gain a new perspective on his urge to make this fight once they see some behind the scenes footage. According to White, St-Pierre's cornermen, including head trainer Firas Zahabi and grappling coach John Danaher, didn't appear overtly confident in St-Pierre's victory just prior to the judges rendering a decision.

"They didn't say anything, but oh yea. You'll see it on my video blog. They were acting like they lost the fight. They all looked like they wanted to kill themselves."

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Time for change. With outcry stemming from another controversial decision, Dave Doyle believes Nevada's athletic commission needs change before promoters look for greener pastures.

Not a fan of surprises. Chuck Mindenhall explores why being left out on Georges St-Pierre's 'mysterious' plans left Dana White flustered.

Hendricks wants immediate rematch. Ending up on the business end of one of the more egregious decisions in recent memory, Johny Hendricks is gunning for another shot at Georges St-Pierre's belt.

Dana scrum. Catch up on all the latest buzz from Dana White UFC 167 post-fight media scrum.

Controversial report. Following the release of a series examining traumatic brain injury in MMA, several fighters featured in the piece are upset with their portrayal.

MEDIA STEW

Make sure to check out our bevy of UFC 167 videos from this weekend.

Dana White still wishes he fought Tito Ortiz.

PANCRASE 253 highlight.

Leonardo Zecchi KTFO by Ivica "Terror" Truscek.

Stun Gun can knock you with his hands ... or his voice... (I'm sorry)

Never know when it could be your last chance. (Not UFC 167 btw)

Bellator 108 recap.

Bonus Bjorn Rebney Bellator 108 Post-fight media scrum.

Action from FCC 8:

(skip to 6:40) Mark Stevens vs. Jim 'The Gentleman' Radcliffe.

(skip to 4:40) Antony Reddicen vs. Ben Holmes.

(skip to 5:20) Ben Knight vs. Adam Ashworth.

TWEETS

As always, make sure to check out excellent 'Pros React' piece for a look at how the fighters saw UFC 167.

Victory lap ... including Hendricks.

Man hands are a little sore after last nights fights. But u should see the other guy lol. pic.twitter.com/3bEGnYdOSm

— Johny Hendricks (@JohnyHendricks) November 17, 2013

Last night was a good night! I'm very blessed to have had such a great camp, great training partners,... http://t.co/OlrkU1hW7T

— Rashad Evans (@SugaRashadEvans) November 18, 2013

Thanks to all my fans!!

— robbie lawler (@Ruthless_RL) November 17, 2013

Best pic from last night @ufc @danawhite #ufc167 pic.twitter.com/676GkejtTt

— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) November 18, 2013

See who is next to me))) pic.twitter.com/lQHZv85X8C

— Ali Bagautinov (@AliPuncherKing) November 17, 2013

Didn't get the KO like I wanted but I got the W hard fight shoutout to Campuzano . #truetest

— Sergio Pettis (@sergiopettis) November 17, 2013

More Sunday reactions.

With the decision last night I would have been less surprised if they gave Johny EVERY round. Will go down as worst decision in UFC history.

— Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) November 17, 2013

Guys I like GSP. He did NOTHING wrong. It's the commission that screwed up. Look what this did to Johny. GSPs corner thought they last.

— Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) November 17, 2013

My motto in fighting: Don't ever let it go to the judges. Not finishing your opponent is a loss in it itself to me. #UFC167 #MMA

— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) November 17, 2013

That said GSP v Hendricks w/the 10pt must system was the kind of fight that makes for difficult calls. The system is not what's best for mma

— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) November 17, 2013

I get a little passionate about athletic commission issues. After watching the fight again, there is no doubt that Hendricks won.

— Pat Miletich (@patmiletich) November 17, 2013

Best 3 out of 5 judging system could work. 5 judges, majority wins. Then start eliminating judges that always blow it. @ufc @danawhite

— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) November 17, 2013

What a night of fights. After sleeping on it I feel no diff thought JH won. Such a close fight. One positive thing, at least the judges ....

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) November 17, 2013

Were consistent. All scored 4 of 5 rounds the same. That great fight all came down to how u saw round 1. Sometimes they watch diff fights.

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) November 17, 2013

If a rnd is close,extremely close, damage has to be the deciding factor bc damage is what determines a fight.Ko,Arm/foot broken,choke2sleep

— Cole Miller (@colemillerATT) November 17, 2013

Rewatched the fight, I feel like Hendricks won rnds 1,2, and 4. I think he probably won. the big problem is the the 10 point must system,

— Mike Brown (@mikebrownmma) November 17, 2013

@effyescudero I think judging criteria should be changed to the PRIDE esq criteria and judges should have professional fight experience

— DaMarques Johnson (@DaMarques_UFC) November 17, 2013

I despise "never leave it to the judges" saying. Occasionally it applies to a fighter being cautious to not lose his JOB, but rarely...

— Sara McMann (@Sara_McMann) November 17, 2013

Alternative theories.

This is why #GSP can't sleep at night... #ufc #mma #ufc167 http://t.co/Jn5ZX5BMyX

— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) November 17, 2013

Best place to take a beating: the side of a mountain with no witnesses.

Apparently me and @Jessamynduke couldn't just sit and enjoy the view ;) http://t.co/33ibQcJeNH

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) November 17, 2013

Worked it out.

@mayhemmiller it's all good homie already forgave ya keep ya head up

— uriah hall (@UriahHallMMA) November 16, 2013

TUF China in the can.

It's a rap! UFC TUFF China is done filming! All about the editing now! Made history tonight! @ufc... http://t.co/wi0Zos5DPh

— Cung Le (@CungLe185) November 17, 2013

Cageside with McGregor.

LIVE ENTRANCE at MGM Grand Garden arena for UFC 167 St.Pierre Vs Hendricks!! Thank you @danawhite @UFC #RINGSIDE https://t.co/rjDe6P4h4M

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 17, 2013

Women's Movement.

not a fan of Tate but I hope she gets the cover of the game so female athletes can b repped as well. Otherwise it'll look like gay porn DVD

— Michelle Ould (@MichelleOuldMMA) November 17, 2013

He must have ruined the hell out of some kid's birthday party.

SEAL TEAM GHOST pic.twitter.com/eqrvQepDir

— Anderson Silva (@SpiderAnderson) November 17, 2013

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced this weekend (Nov. 15-17 2013)

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Chris Cariaso at UFC 169

Darren Elkins vs. Jeremy Stephens at UFC on FOX 10

Ben Henderson vs. Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 10

Luke Rockhold vs. Costa Phillipou at UFC Fight Night 35

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today's Fanpost of the Day comes via WildSoul47.

The Aftermath of UFC 167: Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks

Georges St-Pierre fought the most difficult fight of his career Saturday night against Johny Hendricks in what is being billed as "the most controversial decision" in Mixed Martial Arts history. It appears an overwhelming majority of fighters and fans have expressed outrage over the decision in which they feel Johny Hendricks is the new welterweight champion. According to score cards, rounds 2,3,4, and 5 were scored in a similar fashion leaving round 1 up to debate amongst the judges. According to FightMetric, Hendricks outstruck St-Pierre 142-125 in total strikes but St-Pierre won significant strikes 101-85. (Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1853770-georges-st-pierre-vs-johny-hendricks-breaking-down-the-fightmetric-numbers)

In my opinion, this fight is by far the closest fight in UFC title fight history. Whether or not the fight is controversial will be left up to debate forever. All across different MMA websites, fans are split on who won the fight, citing damage as the main indication of victory vs. the 10-point must system. St-Pierre and Hendricks both had their moments in the fight and it visually appeared St-Pierre was on the verge of defeat. Going into the fifth round, a sense of urgency settled upon St-Pierre (a rare sight for the reigning champion) while Hendricks displayed great confidence (a rare sight for a challenger to the welterweight title). St-Pierre put everything he had to end the fight in his favor while Hendricks, believing he had done enough the previous rounds, fought in a more defensive manner. When the bell rang, there was no doubt in Hendricks' mind that he had won the belt. Unfortunately, the following decision will forever be considered an atrocious occurrence in the UFC by fans and fighters alike: "48-47 Hendricks, 48-47 St-Pierre, and 48-47 to winner by split-decision... and STILL UFC welterweight champion of the world, Georges "Rush" St-Pierre!"

So what went wrong?

...

Check out the rest of the post here.

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