TSN.cas MMA staff including James Lynch – TSN.ca (@lynchonsports), John Pollock – TSN Radio 1050 (@iamjohnpollock) and Jordan Cieciwa – TSN Radio 1290 (@FitCityJordan), take a look at some of the hottest issues in mixed martial arts. With Jordan away in Thailand this week, fellow TSN 1290 “Weigh-In” co-host “Big” Marv Timog fills in. 1) How did you score the Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks fight at UFC 167? James Lynch – TSN.ca (@lynchonsports) I was extremely vocal on Twitter after the scorecards were announced at UFC 167 when in fact Georges St-Pierre had taken home the split decision. I actually tweeted the words “Huge Robbery” and now I regret making that statement, although to be fair I was running on dose of pure emotion. It wasnt a robbery, but it wasnt the right decision. If you want an example of a fight that was a “robbery” look at Phil Davis victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 earlier this year. Even after re-watching this fight, I still scored the first round for Hendricks, which seems to be the round that pundits have been debating the last 48-hours. While St-Pierre did secure the early takedown, I thought with Hendricks landing more shots throughout the remainder of the round earned him the nod. To clarify, I gave rounds 1, 2 and 4 to Hendricks and GSP rounds 3 and 5. Im not alone either, 13 other media members scored the fight for Hendricks over at MMADecisions.com including our own John Pollock. Big Marv” Timog – Co-host TSN 1290s “The Weigh-In” (@BIGMARV204) Count me as one of the people shocked to see GSPs hand raised at the end of their fight. I had to re-watch the fight to figure out how bad the decision was. GSP clearly wins rounds 3 and 5, while “Bigg Rigg” clearly wins rounds 2 and 4. That leaves us with round 1, which is the round to watch and determine who truly won. It was a close round, I can now see how some would score it for GSP, but I had it for Hendricks. Overall, I give the fight to Johny Hendricks, although I think it was closer than I had originally thought. A bit off topic, but I also hate when people use the amount of damage to the face as a way to judge a fight. John Pollock – Host TSN 1050s “The MMA Report” (@iamjohnpollock) I scored the fight 48-47 for Johny Hendricks on first viewing, re-watched the first round the following day and still feel Hendricks landed the most effective shots during the opening round. For me the key was the short uppercuts Hendricks connected with while St-Pierre went for his single and then put Hendricks up against the cage and absorbed the elbows clean to the side of his head. Each had a takedown and neither was able to do anything with the other when they took them down. It was a close round but I was confident Hendricks won the first round. 2) How should Dana White handle St-Pierres extended leave from the promotion? Lynch Honestly with everything St-Pierre has done for the promotion, Dana should give GSP some time and space to let him decide for himself in the coming months. Neither fighter will be back in action at least for another six months anyways due to injuries. In addition, we should also see who wins the upcoming fight next month between Carlos Condit and Matt Brown and where Robbie Lawler fits into the title picture. If bantamweight champion Dominck Cruz can be out with an injury and remain champion for close to two years, then the promotion can give St-Pierre the same leeway. Even if St-Pierre hasnt made up his mind on if hes retiring for good, no harm in creating an interim belt during his vacancy. That, by the way, should not be decided today or this week. Consider that St-Pierres UFC debut was back in January of 2004 and has remained champion since 2008, he deserves more respect. Big Marv Dana White needs to get a definitive answer from the welterweight champion. If Georges St-Pierre is retiring he needs to make it clear. Should he step away for a while, he needs to provide a timeline and if its a year or longer off, then the title should be vacated. GSP has to know he cant hold the division hostage while he sorts through his issues. Pollock It all depends on St-Pierre and where his head is at and what his time table is for fighting again. If St-Pierre needs a mini-vacation and can fight in the summer then all is fine and Hendricks could even wait for the rematch. If St-Pierre is leaving for an indefinite period of time, you have to start looking at an interim title situation, which no one is a fan of. White is very confident St-Pierre isnt leaving for a prolonged period of time, but until we know what the issues are and how St-Pierre plans to tackle them, were just throwing darts in the dark in terms of a remedy scenario. 3) Whats next for Johny Hendricks? Lynch Once Dana White gets an indication of how long GSP will be out, then we can determine whats next for Hendricks. I really think even if its close to a year from now, well see the Hendricks vs. St-Pierre rematch in a neutral location (not Vegas, Texas, Montreal or Toronto). If St-Pierre intends to be out longer than that and Matt Brown defeats Carlos Condit, then you see Hendricks vs. Brown for the interim (or perhaps vacant) welterweight title. However if Condit defeats Brown at UFC on FOX 9, then perhaps you see Robbie Lawler (who defeated Rory MacDonald this past Saturday) as the next potential contender. Im of the belief that prior to Saturdays encounter at UFC 167, St-Pierre fully planned to retire had he dominated Hendricks like he expected to. Because it was a much closer fight, he didnt fully commit to retirement because he wanted to leave the door open. If St-Pierre decided to retire today, vacate the title, Id be content with that because hes done enough for the sport. Big Marv Johny Hendricks gets the next title shot, period. Its the right thing to do. To appease the fans alone, you need to make this happen. Should it be a rematch against GSP? Absolutely, but, I cant be the only one who thinks forcing an unmotivated GSP into another Hendricks fight is a good thing. I say vacate the championship, and Hendricks takes on the winner of Matt Brown and Carlos Condit. And yes I say “vacate” not “interim” Pollock Like the last question its dependent on St-Pierre. If he can fight by next summer then Hendricks should wait and get an immediate rematch. If not, he has a number of options from Robbie Lawler to the winner of Matt Brown / Carlos Condit (though Condit makes little sense for him to fight again other than staying busy). My instinct suggests the rematch with St-Pierre will be his next fight. Cheap Fake Vans . Browns advice worked. Irving scored 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 88-82 Saturday night. Irving made his first shot of the night on a layup a little over three minutes into the game. Fake Vans Slip-on . With the suspension, Nigeria is unable to take part in any kind of international fixtures. FIFA had issued a warning to the NFF last week after the federation was served with court proceedings from the government that prevented the NFFs president from running the NFFs day-to-day affairs. http://www.fakevans.com/.com) - Oregon wasnt going to let Arizona ruin its national title dreams for a second straight season. Fake Vans Old Skool . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. Fake Vans Shoes .com) - New England Patriots starting center Bryan Stork will not play in Sundays AFC Championship against Indianapolis due to a knee injury the rookie sustained last week.WASHINGTON -- By the time the 12th inning rolled around, the San Diego Padres were without third baseman Chase Headley -- his strained calf could send him to the disabled list -- and left fielder Seth Smith, who hurt a groin muscle. The Padres were on their way to using a total of 20 players, including seven pitchers. Well, seven on the mound, and one in left field. Andrew Cashner briefly filled in for Smith before manager Bud Black made a double-switch. So it was quite a relief when Xavier Nady delivered a tiebreaking RBI single off Craig Stammen in the top of the 12th to give San Diego a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night. "This was an interesting one, for sure," Black said. "This was one where you really had to be creative as it went along." Nady, who entered the game in right field in the ninth, bounced a 2-0 fastball up the middle off Stammen (0-1), who was working his third inning. "Im the last man standing. Whatever happens, happens. Ive got to live with it," Stammen said. "I left it up a little bit, but he put it in a good spot." Jedd Gyorko singled, stole second and got to third when catcher Jose Lobatons throw sailed into the outfield for an error, then scored on Nadys hit. "As soon as I threw the ball," Lobaton said, gritting his teeth, "I was like, Ah, that was a bad throw." Alex Torres (1-0) got two outs in the 11th for the win, and Houston Street worked around Bryce Harpers leadoff double in the 12th for his eighth save. The game ended when Lobaton lined out to shortstop Everth Cabrera, who flipped the ball to second base to double off Harper. "It was sort of ironic that we were sort of worried about Harper stealing third," Black explained, "and so we tried to keep Cabby a little bit tighter to Harper, and sure enough the ball was hit in the hole." The Nationals went 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base. The only 1-2-3 innings for Padres pitching were the second and 11th. "Theres just something in you, when your backs against the wall a little bit, youve got to reach back and really give your best shot and throw your bestt pitches," said Tim Stauffer, who threw 2 1-3 scoreless innings in relief of Eric Stults.dddddddddddd "I think as a whole we were able to do that today." Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa said: "Its easy to press. You want to come through for your team." He hit a solo homer in the sixth, and Adam LaRoche added one in the seventh to help Washington pull even after trailing 3-1. But the Padres never did let the Nationals go ahead from there. Headley left in the middle of the second inning, and Black said: "That looks as though thats probably going to be a DL." Smith departed in the 11th but the manager didnt think his problem will send him to the disabled list. In the top of the ninth, San Diegos Yonder Alonso walked, then tried to steal second and initially was ruled safe. But Nationals manager Matt Williams challenged the call, which was overruled on review; replays showed that Alonsos front leg was in the air as he slid and his foot didnt touch the bag before he was tagged. Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. Stults gave up 10 hits but only two runs in his 5 1-3 innings. "When I was done," Stults said, "it seemed like I kind of pitched yesterday." NOTES: Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez felt "normal, after-a-start soreness" Thursday and would get plenty of treatment, Williams said. Gonzalez was pulled in the sixth inning after only 83 pitches Wednesday because his left shoulder felt tight. "Im not concerned about it. I dont think he is, either, really," Williams said. "We want to be careful, but we dont think theres any major concern there." ... Washington RHP Doug Fister, on the 15-day DL with a back muscle problem, threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday and is scheduled to make his first minor league rehab start Sunday, probably at Class-A Potomac. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin, on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, is expected to report to extended spring training in Arizona this weekend. ... On Friday, Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-2, 5.33) will face Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (1-2, 4.15). ' ' '