There are many who feel Johny Hendricks should already have the welterweight crown, but he’ll get another chance to earn it when he meets Robbie Lawler at UFC 171 on Saturday.
At UFC 167, Hendricks took long-reigning welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to a close decision. While an overwhelming majority of MMA media members saw the bout in favor of Hendricks, according to MMADecisions.com, St-Pierre retained his belt in a split call.
On the same fight card, Lawler scored an upset win over St-Pierre teammate Rory MacDonald. The victory established the veteran as one of the top contenders in the 170-pound class.
Not long after UFC 167 ended, St-Pierre vacated his title for personal reasons, leaving Hendricks and Lawler to quarrel over the welterweight championship. Now that the time is coming for the heavy hitters to meet inside the Octagon, here is a closer look at how Hendricks and Lawler match up in all areas.