Johny Hendricks may have taken a clear-cut victory over Matt Brown at UFC 185, but many were dismissive of the former champ’s performance, including UFC President Dana White.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani of Fox Sports, White said that he “didn’t love the fight” when asked for his thoughts about the bout. Earlier in the night, he had tweeted his excitement and predicted it to be the event’s Fight of the Night. Immediately after the final bell, however, White expressed his disapproval regarding the bout.
The disappointment likely stemmed from Hendricks’ formidable wrestling game and Brown’s inability to stop it. While Hendricks was fairly dominant throughout the fight, fans were hopeful for Brown’s high-volume offense to be pitted against Hendricks’ powerful punching. Alas, much of the bout was contested on the mat, where Hendricks chewed up minutes en route to an unanimous 30-27 decision victory.
At the UFC 185 post-fight press conference, White shrugged off questions on Hendricks’ performance and how it relates to his future booking. When asked if Hendricks’ win was enough to ensure another crack at the title, White said (per MMAFighting.com), “A lot of different things happen. I’ve seen guys say, ‘hey, I want to sit out and wait for that belt,’ and they don’t end up fighting for that belt for two years.”
Not a good sign for sure.
Hendricks lost the welterweight title to Robbie Lawler by split decision at UFC 181. While Hendricks was at one point expected to receive an immediate rematch, the UFC would instead opt to attach Lawler to the on-paper top contender, Rory MacDonald, in the co-main event of UFC 189 in July.
Where Hendricks goes from here is unclear. Unless MacDonald suffers an injury ahead of UFC 189, the earliest Hendricks could realistically hope for a UFC title shot would be in November at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia. As such, another non-title fight in the coming months is a realistic possibility for Hendricks.
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