All the stars aligned for former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks going into UFC Fight Night 82 in the main event bout with Stephen Thompson. However, things did not play out like many including Hendricks thought it would go.
Going into this fight, Hendricks made a series of changes that included a change at training camps as well as hiring a nutritionist in Louis Giordano. Those changes did not matter as Thompson beat him via TKO in the first round.
“Stephen Thompson was just a better man tonight,” Hendricks said at the post-fight press conference. “What can I say? He performed. I hesitated. I don’t hesitate usually. A lot of it goes into preparation. I switched camps and all these other things. But no excuses. He was just a better man.”
According to Hendricks, he will fight Thompson again.
“If somebody beats me, how do I beat them?” Hendricks said. “Because I’m pretty sure I’m gonna see him again. And if I see him again I want to make sure that it’s not the same outcome.
“I know what he caught me with. I know what he hit me with, and I know really everything that landed. But it’s still the fact that I lost.”
Hendricks cannot change what happened on Saturday night, but he can recover and come back stronger, which is exactly what he plans to do. According to Hendricks, he wants to return after the birth of his fourth child this spring.
“You get one day to prove who’s the better fighter, and he did it,” Hendricks said of Thompson. “It sucks when you lose, but, like I said, I’ll be back. I’m gonna get better. I’m gonna get stronger. I’m still figuring things out.”
Do you think Hendricks can rally back from this loss? Let us know.
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