LAS VEGAS -- Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre survived a stiff challenge from No. 1 contender Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks, hanging on to win a razor-thin split decision at UFC 167 on Saturday night. An irate UFC president Dana White reacted to the decision for St-Pierre in disbelief, even calling for the Nevada governor to launch an investigation into the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He wondered out loud how anyone could score the fight for the champion. Hendricks fell to his knees as the decision was announced 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 for the Canadian, who took a beating en route to the win before a crowd of 14,856. "Without a doubt, my toughest fight," said a battered St-Pierre, who hinted at retirement in his post-fight comments in the cage. "I couldnt see out of one of my eyes," he added. "He really messed me up." St-Pierre (25-2) said he needed to take some time to mull over his future and made a point of thanking the UFC before he left the cage. "I have to step away for a little bit," said the 32-year-old from Montreal. That drew fire from White, who said Hendricks deserved an immediate rematch. Judges Sal DAmato and Tony Weeks scored rounds one, three and five for St-Pierre. Glenn Trowbridge scored the first, second and fourth for Hendricks. "I am the champion," Hendricks told the post-fight news conference. "The judges ripped my heart out tonight," he added. St-Pierre was hurting elsewhere. He went straight from the cage to the hospital. His face covered with red welts, GSP arrived midway through the news conference after being stitched up. He said he left his soul in the octagon against Hendricks. St-Pierre declined to detail the personal issues bothering him other than they were family matters, he couldnt sleep at night and needed a break. He did not say if he was retiring but it sounded a possibility. The two fighters collected an extra US$50,000 for fight of the night. St. Pierre made a number with a few more zeros at the end, given his position as the UFCs biggest pay-per-view draw. Hendricks (15-2) did what other challengers could not do, take GSP out of his game. He blunted St-Pierres wrestling attack for much of the night and hurt him with strikes and knees. The challenger smiled and held his hands up in the air when the final bell rang. St-Pierre did too, but his face did not look like that of a winner. "I thought I clearly won the fight," said Hendricks, who called St-Pierre a great competitor. Hendricks started strongly but St-Pierre absorbed the onslaught and held strong, biding his time for the championship rounds. The fight was mainly contested on the feet as the two cancelled out their considerable wrestling skills. St-Pierres face showed the toll of the fight while Hendricks, despite absorbing punches, showed few marks. The card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena celebrated the UFCs 20-year anniversary. Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Royce Gracie won UFC 1, an eight-man elimination tournament, on Nov. 12, 1993, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. Hendricks, an Oklahoma native who now makes his home in Dallas, walked out to country music. St-Pierre, wearing a gi, came out to French rap. In the stands, giveaway red and blue bracelets flashed during the introductions. GSP was close to a 2-1 favourite against Hendricks, a former NCAA wrestling champion with one-punch knockout power. The crowd was solidly behind the champion. Hendricks smiled as the two fighters touched gloves before the first round. The crowd roared as St-Pierre landed a takedown within 20 seconds. But Hendricks quickly got up. At the 40-second mark of the first round, St-Pierre surpassed B.J. Penns record of five hours three minutes and 51 seconds for career fight time in the UFC. St-Pierre pushed for another takedown, eating some punches and elbows in the process. The crowd chanted "GSP, GSP." But Hendricks took the champ down briefly as they clinched at the fence and St-Pierre was cut by the eye. Hendricks repeatedly kneed St-Pierre in the clinch with the champion using kicks to keep him away when they separated. It was a good round for the challenger. Between rounds, St-Pierres corner told him to box and wrestle, not just box. Hendricks scored with uppercuts but GSP got a reprieve when Hendricks lost his mouthpiece. At the fence, Hendricks used knees to soften up the champion, who fought back with his jab and kicks. Hendricks seemed to be slowing slightly as the round ended. But St-Pierres face showed damage. In the third, St-Pierre was busy with strikes as the fight remained standing. Hendricks was not as active but scored a late takedown, only to see GSP fight his way back to his feet. St-Pierre jabbed and kicked in the fourth to a thundering chant of "GSP, GSP." The champion found himself on his back, seemingly from a slip, allowing Hendricks to score damage from above. Hendricks surprisingly let a bloodied GSP get back to his feet so they could resume punching. St-Pierre came out desperate in the fifth, taking the fight to Hendricks. He scored with strikes and then took him down. But the challenger did not break. St-Pierre continues to rewrite the UFC record book. It was a record 19th win in the UFC for St-Pierre, moving him past Hall of Famer Matt Hughes at 18. It also extended his string of victories to 12, the longest current run in the UFC. St-Pierre has not lost since his first title defence in April 7, 2007, when 10-1 underdog Matt (The Terror) Serra knocked him out three minutes 25 seconds into the first round at UFC 69 in Houston. Three fights later, at UFC 83 in April 2008, St-Pierre avenged the loss and won his title back The victory moved GSP past former middleweight champion Anderson Silva for most wins in UFC title bouts at 12. Saturdays win was GSPs ninth successful title defence and ninth straight title defence, one behind Silva in each category. And it was his 14th championship fight, one behind Randy Couture. St-Pierre came into the bout holding the UFC mark for most championship rounds fought (47). Earlier, veteran (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler won a split decision over Canadian welterweight Rory (Ares) MacDonald in a wild back-and-forth fight that was judged 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for the underdog Lawler. MacDonald (15-2) drew criticism from White for his performance last time out in a win over Jake Ellenberger. But he got plenty of love Saturday, at least early on from the crowd. He walked out to cheers and Rihannas "We Found Love." The ovation grew as he was introduced in the cage and there were chants of "Rory, Rory" within the first minute. The chant changed to "Robbie, Robbie" in the third round as the 31-year-old Lawler (22-9 with one no contest) knocked the Canadian down and punished him. A tired MacDonald managed a late takedown and some ground and pound of his own, finishing the fight with a flurry of blows. The 24-year-old MacDonald, who came into the fight a 4-1 favourite, was ranked third among welterweight contenders while Lawler was No. 10. A native of Kelowna, B.C., who trains alongside GSP in Montreal, MacDonald has said he wont fight St-Pierre. Saturdays loss will take care of that, at least for the time being. Lawler was aggressive in a close first round with MacDonald looking to use movement, kicks and jabs to blunt his opponents attack or spin out of range. Lawler kept coming in the second round but seemed to be tiring. And when he slowed, MacDonald countered. He also scored a takedown to take the round. In the co-main event, former light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans pounded out a first-round TKO over Chael Sonnen in a fight between friends and co-workers as Fox TV analysts. After they clinched at the fence, Evans (24-3-1) managed to take Sonnen (29-14-1) down and then improved his position, taking his back and hammering away until referee Herb Dean stepped in at 4:05. Earlier, Tyron Woodley knocked out veteran welterweight Josh Koscheck at 4:38 of the first round. Koscheck (19-8) was driven backwards by an early right. And referee Herb Dean hovered over the fighters as Woodley battered Koscheck on the ground later in the first round. But the veteran hung on -- briefly. Woodley (12-2) ended it brutally, crumpling Koscheck with a right to the chin and then hitting him with another on the way down. It earned him $50,000 for KO of the night. Russian flyweight Ali (Puncher) Bagautinov won his 10th straight via a 29-28, 29-8, 30-27 decision over seventh-ranked Tim Elliott (10-4-1). Bagautinov (12-2) landed a lot of punches but had to fight off a second-round guillotine from the unorthodox and durable Elliott, who was not afraid to absorb several strikes to land one of his own. The undercard featured more perspiration than inspiration although lightweight Donald (Cowboy) Cerrone and welterweight Rick (The Horror) Story were on their game. Cerrone (21-6 with one no contest) used his striking superiority to batter Evan Dunham (14-5) before submitting him in the second round. Cerrone, ranked No. 10 among 155-pound contenders, stuffed Dunhams takedowns and then scored one of his own before locking in a triangle choke at three minutes 49 seconds of the second round. Both men needed a victory, having each lost two of their last three bouts. Cerrone picked up $50,000 for submission of the night. Story (16-8) dominated with punishing strikes and leg kicks en route to a unanimous 30-27 decision over Brian (Bad Boy) Ebersole (50-16-1 with one no contest). Ebersole, his chest hair shaved into an arrow pointing upwards, made as if Story wasnt hurting him but clearly took a lot of punishment. Ebersole later said he has been fighting through back pain in recent bouts. Brazilian middleweight Thales Leites used his grappling skills to have his way with Ed (Short Fuse) Herman (21-9 with one no contest) on the ground and win a unanimous 30-27 decision in a gruelling bout. Leites (22-4) is now 2-0 in his second stint with the UFC, faring poorly in a 2009 title shot to Anderson Silva at UFC 97 in Montreal in his first go-round. Bantamweight Sergio (The Phenom) Pettis (10-0), the younger brother of lightweight champion Anthony (Showtime) Pettis, won his UFC debut via a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 decision over a hard-nosed Will Campuzano (13-5). Welterweight Jason (The Kansas City Bandit) High (19-4) won a unanimous 29-28 decision over UFC newcomer Anthony (The Recipe) Lapsley (25-6 with two no contests) in a fight contested mainly on the ground. Mexican bantamweight Erik (Goyito) Perez looked impressive in earning a unanimous 30-27 decision over Edwin (El Feroz) Figueroa in a spirited scrap. For Perez (14-5), it was a return to the win column after a loss to Takeya Mizugaki in August snapped a run of eight straight victories. Figueroa (9-4), who has now lost three straight, earned points for making it through the three rounds. He said later his knee "popped out" in the second round. Light-heavyweight Gian Villante (11-4) posted his first UFC win with a TKO over (Donnybrook) Cody Donovan at 1:22 of the first round to open the card. Custom Philadelphia Phillies Nike Jerseys . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar. Custom Tampa Bay Rays Nike Jerseys .ca contributor Grant McCagg provides a look at some risers and fallers on the prospect watch. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/. Pikul Khueanpet scored early in the second half and Kanjana Sungngoen made it 2-0 in the 65th minute of the playoff. Tuyet Dong narrowed the margin with goal four minutes from time. The win gave Thailand fifth place at the Asian Cup and the last of the continents qualifying spots for the 2015 Womens World Cup in Canada. Cheap Custom Baseball Jerseys . Off-season additions Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley did not train with the club today, prompting Nelsen to declare its too early to tell if either will be ready for Saturday. Custom Authentic Baseball Jerseys . Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.Scott Cullen has some post-Olympic notes on Martin St. Louis trade rumours, Team Canada in 2018 as well as NHL Olympic participation in Pyeongchang, South Korea (and beyond). 1. The Internet was abuzz, following the Olympics, about the possibility of the Tampa Bay Lightning dealing leading scorer Martin St. Louis to New York for Rangers captain Ryan Callahan. This was my initital reaction. That isnt to say that the Lightning might not deal St. Louis because, if hes really unhappy after the whole Olympic team selection fiasco, then that might be the impetus for movement. However, the Lightning are in third place in the Eastern Conference, which means they arent just going to give him away, and there are several issues at play with regards to St. Louis future with the team. First, since St. Louis has a no-movement clause, the Lightning are at his mercy should they decide to trade him. If St. Louis says that his preferred destination is the Rangers, because he lives in nearby Connecticut, then you can expect the Rangers to avoid paying fair market value, instead paying closer to monopolistic value, not unlike the Pittsburgh Penguins offered to the Calgary Flames for Jarome Iginla last season. Additionally, if the Lightning are going to shop St. Louis, wouldnt it make much more sense to do it in the offseason, when they might be able to get a better quality return, or perhaps open the trade talks to more than one team (its not like Manhattan is the only NHL location relatively close to Connecticut)? Whatever the deal ends up being, there is little reason for the Lightning to deal St. Louis, straight-up, for an inferior winger with an expiring contract. Maybe Callahan plus works, but it would definitely depend on the plus. The reigning scoring champion cant just be peddled out of town at a cut-rate price if a franchise is going to be seen as legitimate. Considering how torn Lightning GM Steve Yzerman must have been throughout this process, its no wonder that hes had enough as Team Canada GM after back-to-back Olympic gold medals. 2. The 2014 Olympics were barely finished before Mike Johnson was tasked with projecting Team Canada for 2018. Obviously, this requires a lot of projection, going four years ahead of time, but here are some 2014 players that are likely due to be replaced because of age: Roberto Luongo, Mike Smith, Chris Kunitz, Patrick Sharp, Martin St. Louis, Jay Bouwmeester, Dan Hamhuis, Patrick Marleau, Rick Nash and Jeff Carter, all of whom are 29 or older this season. There could easily be more turnover, but filling those 8-10 spots seems a reasonable starting point. In net, I would add Jonathan Bernier (who I would have taken in 2014) to Carey Price. As the number three goaltender, I lean to a younger player like Braden Holtby, even if hes going through some tough times this season. On the blueline, with the right side staying the same -- Drew Doughty, Shea Weber, Alex Pietrangelo, P.K. Subban, along with Duncan Keith and Marc-Edouard Vlasic onn the left -- that leaves room for a couple of new faces.dddddddddddd Today, Ill go with Ryan Murray and Travis Hamonic ahead of Morgan Rielly and Brenden Dillon. Up front, after bringing back Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, John Tavares, Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene and Patrice Bergeron, I add Steven Stamkos, Tyler Seguin, Taylor Hall, Claude Giroux, Logan Couture and Nathan MacKinnon to get to 14 forwards. It pains me to pass over Blue Jackets C Ryan Johansen, but hes one that I find intriguing. The debate will surely rage, but maybe we can put it aside for at least three years before getting caught up in it too much. 3. One other twist, as it pertains to participation in the Olympics, and was mentioned by Gord Miller, is that the NHL could go with the under-23 model that soccer uses in the Summer Olympics. The sticking point, to me, in this plan is that teams arent going to want to continue playing their schedule without some of these top-calibre players. Here are some of the best 22-and-under players in the NHL this season. Can we really expect a team to go forward and play games for a couple of weeks without players of that calibre? Imagine the Colorado Avalanche without Ryan OReilly, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, or the Winnipeg Jets minus Evander Kane, Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba. Those would be devastating to those particular teams. The other tweak to the option is that NHL teams could decide which players can go which, given previous experience with the World Junior tournament, would pretty much eliminate the participation of NHL players, which begs the question: why impose an age limit at all if NHLers wont be participating? By most accounts, the players always seem in favour of the experience. Those that are playing enjoy it and those that dont enjoy getting some time off during the season. As it stands now, NHL owners and executives have taken the position that they arent so interested in participating in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and that could be their legitimate stance, especially after some teams had players suffer injuries while playing in Sochi. At the same time, its also the kind of position that a negotiator would take if they wanted to extract more favourable compensation from the International Olympic Committee. Theres no leverage if you state that youre unequivocally in love with the current relationship. Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, who has hardly been regarded as being tight with the players, told the New York Times, "I know the importance of competing in the Olympics to many of our players — they are our partners and if it is important to them it should be important to us." That doesnt sound like the door on NHL Olympic participation has been shut altogether. At least not yet. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '