Many felt that Johny Hendricks earned himself a shot at welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre after his knockout win over Martin Kampmann.
It was the fifth win in a row for the bearded warrior known as “Bigg Rigg” and his second nasty knockout in three fights.
Despite that impressive streak, it wasn’t enough to earn him a shot at UFC gold. That shot went to GSP‘s rival Nick Diaz.
Hendricks was forced to take another fight to stay busy and hopefully, with a win, secure himself his long-awaited shot. He took a fight against the heavy-handed Jake Ellenberger at UFC 158.
Also fighting on that event is Carlos Condit. His opponent, Rory MacDonald, got hurt in training for their fight, leaving Condit without an opponent. This is where Hendricks came in.
Hendricks took the fight against Condit and has essentially taken his destiny into his own hands.
He very badly wants his shot at a UFC belt. If he can take out arguably one of the best welterweights today in Condit, then the UFC should have no choice in who gets the next shot.
Make no mistake, this is a tough fight for Hendricks. Condit is an elite welterweight who is dangerous wherever the fight goes. His striking is unorthodox and unpredictable, and he’s always dangerous off his back. He’s the man that nearly finished GSP with a head kick in their title fight.
The scenario that Hendricks finds himself in is a high-risk, high-reward one. He faces a top-flight welterweight who could potentially beat him, but if he beats Condit, the UFC has to give him a shot at whoever the champion is.
Hendricks is playing with fire. It is a dangerous and unpredictable scenario, and on March 16, we will find out if he emerges unscathed or if he gets burned.
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