Johny Hendricks
The Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion made the co-main event for UFC 154 official late Tuesday night, with the promotions Canadian office naming welterweights between Johny ‘Big Rigg’ Hendricks and Martin ‘The Hitman’ Kampmann as the co-headliners.
UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) – Bigg Rigg and Hitman added as co-main event for #UFC154 Nov 17 in Montreal @JohnyHendricks @MartinKampmann
In the announcement from the UFC.com page, the two may battle for a No. 1 contender spot.
The bout could establish a clear next contender for the welterweight title, with the winner likely earning the right to fight the welterweight king. The title is now held by Georges St-Pierre, who must first face interim champion Carlos Condit when he returns from rehabbing the injury that’s sidelined him since 2011. The St-Pierre-Condit bout is expected to take place late this year.
UFC 154 is expected to occur on November 17, 2012 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The event is headlined by a welterweight title unification match between champion Georges St-Pierre and interim-champ Carlos Condit.
Hendricks has been on a tear recently, winning four straight inside the Octagon. ‘Big Rigg’ earned a split decision over former contender Josh Koscheck this past May at UFC on FOX 3, while finishing another former contender in Jon Fitch at UFC 141 with a twelve-second knockout. The other two victories for Hendricks were over Mike Pierce and TJ Waldburger.
Kampmann has won three in a row, having earned three “Fight Night” bonuses in his last four matches. ‘The Hitman’ won a “Knockout of the Night” bonus in the main event of the TUF 15 Finale, earning a come-from-behind second round knockout finish of Jake Ellenberger. Kampmann’s previous fight also saw him win despite being behind on the score cards, submitting Thiago Alves in March at UFC on FX 2 to earn a “Submission of the Night” bonus.