A win over Jake Ellenberger won’t guarantee Johny Hendricks a UFC title shot, according to Dana White.
At the UFC 158 press conference, the UFC President revealed a tournament-like plan for the upcoming event in Montreal on March 16:
Basically, this is a welterweight tournament. We’ve got six of the top-10 welterweights fighting on this card. Obviously, the main event is Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre for the title. We got [Carlos] Condit vs. [Rory] MacDonald and Ellenberger vs. Hendricks.
Instead of guaranteeing title shots, White plans on stepping back and assessing individual performances before deciding the next No. 1 contender.
Hendricks is still the frontrunner for a shot, but White couldn’t rule out the possibility of MacDonald or Condit leapfrogging him in the title picture, stating “If Hendricks looks good and wins his fight, [he’ll probably get the shot], but who knows? We’ll see what happens on that night.”
Hendricks has been on a tear in the UFC the last two years.
He is currently riding a five-fight win streak, with his last three wins coming over Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Martin Kampmann.
Most thought his devastating knockout against Kampmann was more than enough to sway the UFC into giving him a title shot, but the bout was given to Diaz, who is coming off a decision loss to Condit.
Hendricks is certainly the more deserving contender, but the UFC has always been about giving the fans the fights they want to see. If Condit or MacDonald wins impressively, it is safe to say they would both have a great shot at surpassing Hendricks.
Condit was one of the few fighters to ever have St-Pierre in danger when he dropped him with a head kick at UFC 154. If he defeats MacDonald, it would be tough to deny him a rematch.
As for MacDonald, he is a rapidly rising star in the welterweight division. He is coming off a dominant performance against MMA legend BJ Penn. For months, he has denied any interest in challenging St-Pierre, who is his close friend and teammate at Tristar Gym.
A MacDonald vs. St-Pierre matchup would certainly make for an interesting storyline, and it could do big pay-per-view numbers if played right in the media.
Unfortunately, Hendricks finds himself in a similar situation to Fitch, who had to win eight straight fights before finally getting a title shot in 2008.
Now might be a good time to enroll in the “Chael Sonnen School for Trash Talking.”
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