Johny Hendricks’ long wait to get his shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is apparently almost over, because it appears he will fight for the belt in November with the bout most likely landing in Las Vegas.
During a media gathering at UFC 161 in Winnipeg on Thursday, UFC President Dana White let the cat out of the bag by saying that St-Pierre vs. Hendricks will “probably” go down in November.
The likely destination for the bout is Las Vegas, although no further details were released during White’s conversation with the media.
The bout between St-Pierre and Hendricks has been rumored for months, but not until Thursday did an actual timeline get placed on when it would take place.
Hendricks has been considered the No. 1 contender in the division for the better part of the last year, but delays continued to happen—most notably former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz getting a title shot in March despite coming in off a loss and a one-year suspension for testing positive for marijuana in his last fight.
Always the hard worker, Hendricks kept pursuing the belt and even took a very dangerous fight against former interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 158 in March. The risk almost backfired with Condit coming close to winning the fight, but ultimately Hendricks pulled out the decision and cleared the way for his shot at St-Pierre.
Now the former NCAA wrestling champion will get his first shot at a major MMA title when he takes on one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet later this year.
St-Pierre will look to make his third consecutive title defense following major knee surgery that kept him out of the sport for over a year between 2011 and 2012. Following his rehab stint to get the knee back to full health, St-Pierre bested Condit in his fight back before defeating Diaz at UFC 158.
Now, the incumbent champion has arguably his toughest test to date, as Hendricks comes into the fight with a similarly solid wrestling game and knockout power in both hands.
While the final plans for St-Pierre and Hendricks are still in the works, it’s likely the welterweight title fight will headline the major UFC pay-per-view that will take place in November.
UFC officials will likely release more details once bout agreements have been issued and the promotion can start for the St-Pierre vs. Hendricks showdown.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
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