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Johny Hendricks: One Step Away from Making His Dream a Reality

The past two years have been a wild ride for Johny Hendricks.The former two-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler hammered his way through one of the most competitive weight classes under the UFC banner to become one of the best 170-pound fig…

The past two years have been a wild ride for Johny Hendricks.

The former two-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler hammered his way through one of the most competitive weight classes under the UFC banner to become one of the best 170-pound fighters in mixed martial arts. Throughout his journey to the top of the ladder, “Bigg Rigg” leveled perennial contenders with his sledge of a left hand and defeated a collection of the best welterweight fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon.

Along with success, the Oklahoma native also experienced a sense of validation as he carved his way through the rankings. Putting together six consecutive victories on the sport’s biggest stage served to be the ultimate confidence boost. And as the success continued, Hendricks was finally able to match the same belief in his talents as his coaches and trainers have been saying for years.

While there were plenty of positives to be taken from the situation, Hendricks also experienced his fair share of frustration along the way, as the title opportunity he was working tirelessly to earn continued to eluded him. But each time a shot at Georges St-Pierre’s championship was pushed further away, Hendricks stepped up and went after it with tenacity.

When Hendricks squared off with Carlos Condit at UFC 158, the moment had finally come for the Team Takedown fighter to capture the opportunity he had been chasing for so long. “The Natural Born Killer” was the final obstacle standing between him and the number one contender position. And when Hendricks had his hand raised at the end of the three-round war, the mission to earn a chance to fight Georges St-Pierre had been accomplished.

By facing Condit, Hendricks put all of his momentum and title hopes on the table. And with a victory at UFC 158, he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the true number one contender in the welterweight division.

“Pressure lets you know what kind of person you are,” Hendricks told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “That kind of adversity will show you what you are made of. You see a lot of guys who are told they will be the number one contender if they win the fight in front of them. They have fought a couple of really tough guys to get there, but when the chance is presented to them, something happens in some shape or form and they aren’t able to take it. They end up losing. That was the biggest fear for me.

“I looked at guys who I believe are better fighters than I am and if that happened to them, how was I going to overcome it? The most important part of this fight to me personally was overcoming that adversity. A lot of great fighters weren’t able to reach out and grab that title shot and I’m just glad it didn’t happen to me.”

As one chapter of his has come to a close, the next officially begins. Where Hendricks was once on a quest to earn respect and recognition, those things are now set aside as will attempt to bring in the ultimate prize.

At the post-fight press conference in Montreal, UFC President Dana White addressed the media and declared Hendricks to be the official number one contender in the 170-pound weight class. They were words Hendricks had been waiting to hear for the better part of two years and knowing his long-awaited showdown with St-Pierre would become a reality was instant motivation.

But for as good as that all sounds, the fight is yet to be made official, and that gives Hendricks cause for concern. The pound-for-pound great recently accepted a role in the upcoming Captain America sequel, and while filming the movie will require St-Pierre to be out for a stretch, that isn’t the issue picking at Hendricks.

In a recent interview, Firas Zahabi told Sherdog that St-Pierre is open to moving up a weight class and making the long-awaited “super fight” against Anderson Silva a reality. In the same interview the Tri-Star leader also mentioned the champion was up to fighting Hendricks as well, but wasn’t sure which route they were going to take.

Hendricks has been publicly campaigning for the chance to fight St-Pierre. He believes if the champion finds a way to avoid their clash, it is because St-Pierre is scared of what will happen when they step inside the cage.

If the welterweight king wants to do a movie and add to his back account, that is fine by Hendricks. But he wants the title opportunity he has earned and is willing to wait for as long as it takes.

“If they find a way out of this fight then no one can question why he didn’t fight me,” Hendricks said. “If I don’t get to fight Georges for his next fight, then there is only one explanation. They can say he wanted a bigger money fight, but he has a great competitor sitting right in front of him. I would like the chance to fight GSP, and if that chance doesn’t come, the only explanation would be that either his camp is scared or GSP is.

“I don’t know what is going on, but something is a little fishy here. I understand him doing the Captain America thing. That is awesome and props to him for being able to venture out and find another way to make money. That’s awesome. But if they sit there and decide not to give me the opportunity to fight him; that would suck.

“Make no mistake about it, I’m waiting for GSP this time. I had to take another fight to prove to the fans that I am the number one contender and that I deserved my shot. I knew I had to do that. But after defeating Carlos Condit, I’ve shown I deserve to have a title shot. I’ve done everything GSP has done. My last five fights, I’ve had the exact same record against the exact same people he has fought out of his last eight opponents. But there are three of them I’ll never get the chance to fight.

“As a competitor, I want to fight GSP,” Hendricks added. “I really do and that is because I want to fight the best. But if he goes up a weight class, the belt is more important to me than GSP. That’s really what it boils down to for me. I have no problem with GSP whatsoever, but he has something around his waist that I want a shot at. That is what is bothering me.”

While it could take months for the situation to come into focus, Hendricks isn’t wasting any time and has already jumped back into the gym to begin his preparation. St-Pierre’s decision is ultimately out of his hands, but Hendricks isn’t allowing that to affect his progression.

The only thing on his mind is becoming a UFC champion and he will do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal. Knowing the opportunity to step in and make all the hard work and sacrifices worthwhile, is all the inspiration Hendricks needs.

“Oh you’re not kidding,” Hendricks responded when asked if getting to fight for the title is the ultimate motivation. “I’m already back in the gym and I’m super-excited to back to work. I worked my boxing today, and that and my kickboxing are two things I’m really going to focus on improving. We were in the gym and running through sparring rounds like nothing.

“We were doing two and a half rounds at a time and I was firing through it because I’m so motivated. Doing 13 minutes of mitt work with a two minute break and I’m excited to do those things because I know what is coming up. I know what I want to get and I know what I have to do to get it.

“You better believe I’m getting that title. I’m going to do everything in my power and train as hard as I can to make sure that 12-pound gold buckle that says UFC on it as somewhere at my house.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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UFC Sweden: Matt Mitrione Under Pressure Against Phil De Fries

Competing on the most prominent stage in mixed martial arts comes equipped with an automatic amount of pressure.For some, simply stepping into the Octagon is a dream realized and validation for years of hard work spent grinding out victories for s…

Competing on the most prominent stage in mixed martial arts comes equipped with an automatic amount of pressure.

For some, simply stepping into the Octagon is a dream realized and validation for years of hard work spent grinding out victories for smaller promotions, where others are looking to prove they belong competing with the best fighters in the world.

In a realm as competitive as the UFC, the battles come on multiple fronts. The notion of a fighter only being as good as his last showing, while cliche, rings with an element of truth. When a fighter finds himself on a losing skid, the weight of the circumstances at hand become an unavoidable reality.

That being said, each competitor handles pressure differently, and UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione is prepared to face every aspect of of his current situation head-on.

The former NFL defensive tackle-turned-mixed martial artist will be looking to stop a two-fight skid when he steps in against Phil De Fries next Saturday at UFC on Fuel TV 9 in Stockholm, Sweden, headlined by top light heavyweights Alexander Gustafsson and Gegard Mousasi.

Having his back against the wall is unfamiliar territory for the former Purdue University standout, as he got off to a red-hot start in his first four showings under the UFC banner.

The 34-year-old’s early success positioned him to take a step up in competition. But after coming up short against Cheick Kongo at UFC 137 and suffering a first-round defeat to his former TUF housemate Roy Nelson last December, the urgency and intensity surrounding Mitirone’s career have increased.

The Indiana-based fighter is fully aware of what could be waiting on the other side of a loss in Sweden, but “Meathead” intends to use the pressure as motivation to get the job done against De Fries.

“Oh, for sure there is pressure and my head is definitely on the chopping block here,” Mitrione told Bleacher Report. “I don’t know if it will get cut off or not, or the UFC will pull a Dan Hardy and keep me around, but if I lose then I’m definitely subject to being cut. And I acknowledge that.

“Honestly, it doesn’t really affect me because in the UFC you can have one bad fight and get axed out.

“That is not any additional pressure but it is a realization that I could get cut if I lose. I pride myself with being as honest with myself as possible, and this is a situation where there definitely is peril if I lose this fight. But I’m not going to lose, so I’m not worried about it.

“There are some things I look forward to, and this fight is definitely one of them. My head is on the chopping block, there is a little bit of pressure on externally, and let’s go out there and see what I got. Let’s go out there and see what happens, baby.

“I’m no spring chicken and everybody knows that,” Mitrione added. “I started late in the game and I’ve been in the UFC for three and a half years now; it’s time for me to do something. I have seven fights under my belt and it’s sink or swim now. It’s sh** or get off the pot. It’s go time right now and either I do it or I don’t.”

In the matchup with De Fries, Mitrione is facing an opponent in a similar position. The Team Alliance fighter came out on the business end of his most recent outing against powerhouse Todd Duffee, bringing his record to 2-2 under the UFC banner.

On paper, the bout between the British grappler and the heavy-handed slugger would appear to be a classic stylistic tilt. That being said, having learned from past experiences, Mitrione is ready for anything that could possibly come his way.

“From the way it looks, Phil doesn’t have the best chin in the world,” Mitrione said. “I have pretty heavy hands and I’m not afraid to stand in the pocket and trade, and I think from the way it looks to most people, he matches up poorly against me and I match up very well against him.

“But in that same breath, Phil has some takedowns and he is a solid grappler. I feel people will say if the fight goes to the ground, I’ll be in trouble, so it’s vice versa for both of us in a sense. But honestly, I feel my ground game is pretty damn good; I just never show it.

“Even before I came down here to South Florida and trained with Thiago Silva and Braulio Estima, I was training with Coach Neil Melanson. I was training with some really good guys. It is just a matter of time before I get in a spot where I’m grappling during a fight and showing my ground-and-pound, top control and everything else. I’m excited about it.

“My fight IQ is getting better and I’m excited about learning. I made a couple of mistakes in my fight against Roy Nelson. I stopped using my feet, stopped moving around, and said screw it, I’ll just trade off with Roy. I wasn’t afraid of his power and thought f*** it, let’s just see what happens. But the biggest mistake I made was that I got too far over on my front leg and I flared my elbow out on my straight left.

“Roy saw that a couple times and it was something they had practiced quite a bit. He knew I was expecting his overhand right and when I flared out my elbow and had my eyebrow tucked into my bicep; he threw an uppercut.

“It was something I never saw coming and it was because I telegraphed what I did and put too much weight forward. If I would have put my weight on my back foot, like I’m always supposed to, by the time I would have stepped into my punch, his punch would have been six or seven inches short of my face. He never would have thrown it, but I messed up.

“It is things like that I learn the most from. It sucks to say it but you have to lose in order to learn some times. You just have to. If you win, you think you are doing everything right but if you lose, then you see all the dumb sh** you do. It sucks but I feel like my fight IQ. has really increased and I feel like I’ve become a more intelligent fighter because of what happened.

“I would like to think this next fight is a great opportunity to show that progression but Phil could come out there and do something that throws me for a loop,” Mitrione added. “He could do some things I’ve never seen before, put me in a bad spot and win the fight. You never know.

“But I am going to do every thing in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m going to use everything I’ve been working on in training and you never know what I’m going to do. Hell, I never know what I’m going to do and that’s the fun part of it.”

Despite the circumstances lingering overhead, Mitrione has kept his signature brand of humor intact. The IFA gym owner and Team Blackzillians fighter doesn’t shy away from the reality of his situation, much the same way as he doesn’t back down from trading leather inside the Octagon.

For Mitrione, the fight game is all or nothing, and he intends to give De Fries everything he has next Saturday at Ericsson Globe Arena. Whether that will be enough to earn the victory remains to be seen, but one thing Mitrione can guarantee is that he’s going to bring the ruckus directly to his British counterpart.

“I’m bringing the same old me into this fight. There has never been one fight where I fight harder than any time before it. I’m not brand new and improved. I didn’t go back to the drawing board. I’m just learning the same things I was learning before. I’m going to be the same douchebag who is probably going to smile in the middle of the fight because I enjoy what the hell I do. I’m going to get out there and do work like I always do.

“Another thing fans are going to see for sure is a tan Matt Mitrione. I go to the tanning bed on the regular and while I look a little bit hairy, I’m going to be tan. That’s for damn sure. I also have a beard that I’ve never sported going into a fight before. I’m not going to shave it and I’m going to be grimy and gutter in Sweden. I’m excited about it.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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NAFC Owner Duke Roufus: ‘I Want Sergio Pettis to Be Sergio Pettis’

A little over two weeks ago, RFA 7 planned to feature undefeated Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis against Matt Manzanares, while Leandro Silva planned on facing Brandon “Ruckus” Thatch in the event’s headliner, but when a leg infection plagued Silva, pl…

Then-undefeated Mike Rhodes, who actually looked forward to fighting at NAFC: Battleground, which emanates live from Milwaukee’s Potawatomi Bingo Casino tonight, would replace Silva while enjoying the chance to share a card with Pettis.

However, injury struck Manzanares days later, and RFA officials could not find a replacement for him, so they allowed Pettis to top the “Battleground” card opposite Josh Robinson. Robinson, currently riding a two-fight losing streak, defeated Pettis‘ teammate, highly touted flyweight Dustin Ortiz in May 2012.

For Roufusport head trainer and NAFC owner Duke Roufus, RFA president Ed Soares‘ decision to let Pettis fight on this card proved the right one, given Pettis‘ stance.

“They understand Sergio’s stance, that he wanted to fight as soon as possible,” Roufus told Bleacher Report MMA in an exclusive interview, “so they were very generous to let him fight outside the organization and stay busy.”

RFA officials brought the issue of Manzanares‘ injury to the attention of Roufus and Pettis before news of the change spread, but the infection to Silva caused the pieces to fall into place for Pettis, as well as teammate Rhodes.

“Unfortunately, they couldn’t get anyone for [Sergio’s] fight on TV; at the same time they lost [Leandro], and everything just seemed to work itself out,” Roufus said.

“Obviously Sergio would love to fight on TV, but luckily, he’s a 19-year-old kid who’s got many years ahead of him.”

Robinson may fight with an almost .500 record, but don’t let his record fool you. Robinson owns the majority of his pro triumphs by submission and his skill set brings more danger to Pettis than most may think.

“The cool thing [about Josh], he’s going to probably choose to stand and kick-box with Sergio,” Roufus said of Robinson, who vocalized his desire to knock Pettis out.

Roufus will note that while Sergio’s older brother and current UFC featherweight title contender Anthony “Showtime” Pettis fights with more flamboyance and flash, Sergio brings a game that, at only 19, proves technically sound every time fight night rolls around.

However, when it comes to both the talks of Sergio in the UFC, as well as the wonders of how he will break out as his own body in his own pro career, Roufus won’t worry too much about how quickly Sergio joins the UFC’s flyweight class because he knows the time will come when Dana White and Co. come calling.

Right now, Roufus only wishes for the already-developed Sergio to progress further as himself and not worry about trying to emulate Anthony.

“Right now, he’s still ‘Anthony Pettis‘ brother,'” Roufus said, “and I’m helping to coach him through that, don’t get caught up in the pressure; you have to perform because you’re trying to be ‘Showtime’. When have you done a Showtime Kick? I want Sergio to be Sergio, and Anthony to be Anthony.”

The undefeated prospect will have the opportunity to break out further into his own tonight when he and Robinson square off.

Unquestionably, Sergio represents a breed like none other, and with an improvement to 7-0, few will doubt that his breed shines in a much different light than that of his older brother.

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Felice Herrig Looking to Prove She Is a Fighter Above All Else

As women’s mixed martial arts continues to carve out a larger place on the MMA landscape, more opportunities will arise for female fighters to make their name in the sport.For many involved in WMMA, the time in the spotlight is a long time coming, as m…

As women’s mixed martial arts continues to carve out a larger place on the MMA landscape, more opportunities will arise for female fighters to make their name in the sport.

For many involved in WMMA, the time in the spotlight is a long time coming, as many of the best women athletes in the sport have been competing on the fringes of high-profile events for years, with their work inside the cage overshadowed by their male counterparts.

While women grabbing their share of attention in a male dominated sport is a difficult task in its own right, a handful of female fighters have been able to gain footing on a few of MMA’s biggest stages. With the rise of the all-female Invicta FC promotion, the road up-and-coming fighters are going to travel will undoubtedly have less obstacles than what the women who pioneered the sport had to face.

Nevertheless, the fight inside the cage and the battle for visibility beyond, are challenges that remain for the savviest of competitors. And Felice Herrig is constantly looking to further her career in both aspects.

As the ever-present debate in WMMA regarding women fighters and their use of sex appeal to garner attention continues, Herrig‘s name will undoubtedly hit headlines across the mixed martial arts community, as it has for the past two years.

The Chicagoland-native is a popular target for the negative connotations that surround self-marketing for female fighters, but the sense that “any press is good press”, allows the 28-year-old to take things in stride.

Are her sponsor-endorsed photo shoots bordering on the risque side? You bet.

Do they grab fight fans’ attention? Absolutely.

But above all the things that come with her career fighting in a realm comprised of both sports and entertainment: the “Lil Bulldog” is eager to prove there is plenty of substance to go with her sex appeal.

“You want the attention to be on your fighting but the other things are good because they draw attention in that direction,” Herrig told Bleacher Report. “That has always been my main goal. I want to get people excited to watch me fight and it’s more important to be marketable. That is just the way it is. If you can get people interested in wanting to watch you fight because of how you market yourself or your looks, and it draws more people to the sport, then you’ve done a good job at what you are doing.

“A lot of great things are happening for women’s MMA across the board. It’s hard to talk about Invicta because it is not the fight promotion I’m currently under, but the fact that they are creating weight divisions is great. In the past, promotions were only concerned about getting certain names on their fight cards and weren’t necessarily concerned with matchups or what weight they took place at. I had plenty of fights take place at a catch weight because of it. Or I had a last-minute replacement step in where I had to go up weight.

“Now there is an entire pool of women fighters at my weight and Invicta is building up the divisions. You get to see who is fighting who and there won’t really be so many mismatches. Before there were so many mismatches and in some aspects, that hurt WMMA. You would see a girl the promotion was trying to build going against a girl who really doesn’t know how to fight. Now there are really great matchups and exciting fights people can really look forward to.

“In the past, a lot of girls never had the chance to be seen,” Herrig added. “Unless you were fighting at 145 or 135 on a platform like Strikeforce, there was no way to get your name out there. That is another reason why I’ve put so much focus on my marketability. I’ve been trying to get bigger opportunities, and fighting at 115-pounds, those opportunities were few and far between.

“When you are coming up and trying to build your name, fighting at 115-pounds and where there are no major promotions who will put you on T.V., the only thing you can do to push your name is work. You post your fights on YouTube and try to get as many hits on it as possible. You do these things over and over again, in an effort to reach a point where you are known and open the doors for bigger things to happen for you.”

The next opportunity Herrig will have to prove her talents inside the cage will come this Thursday night when she mixes it up with Heather Clark at Bellator 94. The Team Curran fighter is eager to let her fighting skills take the forefront and is looking to extend her three-fight win streak against an opponent who has taken to social media to kick up dust in her direction.

While Herrig has no problem with building the buzz leading up to the fight, she also believes Clark may not be ready to deal with what happens when the cage door closes.

“I honestly think [Clark] gives herself a little too much credit for being so awesome,” Herrig said. “I’m ranked fifth in my division where she isn’t ranked at all. I don’t like to underestimate an opponent but I really don’t see her posing too much of a threat all around. I’m not saying she is a chump. She has a right hand and she liked to throw it a lot, but I’m definitely more well-rounded than she is.

“Leading up to the fight she has been saying I’m trashy. Why am I trashy? Because I’m marketable and do photo shoots? They are in no way scandalous and I’m in typical sports attire for my sponsors. But then I go look and see that she did the same type of photo shoots but they didn’t get the same kind of attention mine get. So now I’m the trashy one? At the same time, she’s the one going around running her mouth, but that makes me trashy?

“I don’t understand how a photo shoot can put you in a trashy category, especially when it is still tasteful. None of my photo shoots are nude and they are all sponsor related. I wear a sports bra and booty shorts, and if you don’t have that marketability factor, sponsors don’t necessarily want to put their brand on you.

“I also think because of my looks and that I’m girly, people tend to overlook me as a fighter,” Herrig added. “That is who I am and it’s real. But people don’t see that mean side until they step inside the cage with me. That is when that other side comes out. That is when “The Lil Bulldog” comes out so to speak.”

As Herrig‘s career receives attention for things she does outside of the cage, what matter the most is her ability to show and prove when it matters the most. The next big challenge will come against Clark tomorrow night, and Herrig understands the urgency to keep the momentum rolling as WMMA continues to grab the spotlight.

At the same time, in the aftermath of Bellator 94, Herrig will continue to work towards the next big opportunity in her fighting career. The fight against Clark will come and go, and soon enough down the road, there will be another opponent for her to test her skills against. The time in between will be spent working tirelessly in the gym to improve her skill set, and doing the additional requirements necessary to support herself in the mean time.

“My fighting has never taken second place to what I do in marketing,” Herrig said. “People kind of draw their own pictures to what they think is happening with me. They say, ‘Maybe Felice should spend less time doing sexy photo shoots and more time training.’ Really? I train my ass off. I train non-stop and it doesn’t come second to me.

“But in order for me to financially live and train as much as I do, then I have to do the other things for my sponsors because that is how I get paid. I make ten times more money from sponsors than I do from fighting and it is all part of the job.

“People don’t understand that our job is not just to fight. We are entertainers as well. A fighter’s job is not just to train and then go out there and perform; our job is to entertain as well. I’ve grasped that concept and that is probably why I’m one of the few fighters who isn’t under a UFC contract, and making a lot of money to fight, that can live off of sponsorships alone.

“Fighting speaks volumes but the marketability definitely comes into play,” Herrig said. “Now I’m fighting with Bellator and getting that attention helped make promoters want to book me. I had to give promoters a reason to want to put me on their card on top of just being able to fight. You have to get your foot in the door and you have to get their attention to make them invest in you.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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WSOF 2 Results: The Evolution of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson

Even before making the jump up a few weight classes in his subsequent fights following his release by the UFC, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson knew a long time ago that he didn’t belong in the welterweight division.He just didn’t want to admit it.Repeatedly m…

He just didn’t want to admit it.

Repeatedly missing weight by as much as 12 lbs. during his stint with the world’s largest MMA promotion, Johnson was finally let go by the UFC after weighing in at a hulking 197 lbs. for his middleweight scrap opposite Vitor Belfort at UFC 142.

But instead of harboring any ill-will or regretting his mistakes, the 29-year-old is using his past transgressions as motivation as he journeys through the next stage of his career.

Now riding a five fight win streak after defeating former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski in a heavyweight showdown at Saturday’s World Series of Fighting 2, it’s clear that “Rumble” has matured as both a person and a fighter.

“I was a heavyweight fighting at 170. I shouldn’t have been fighting at it, but I did,” Johnson told reporters during the WSOF 2 post-fight media scrum. “Do I regret going down to 170? If I didn’t go down to 170 I wouldn’t be where I am right now. My losses at 170, I don’t see them as losses, I see them as lessons learned, me getting more wisdom and learning more about the sport and myself.”

Looking back on his tumultuous time as a welterweight, Johnson attributes his early follies to the ignorance and vanity of his youth.

“It didn’t harm me. I was just reckless and thought, like Andrei said in his interview, he thought he was going to be the UFC champ forever, I was thinking I was going to be in the UFC forever,” Johnson told Bleacher Report during the scrum. “I was young, dumb, and full of life. I didn’t care. I just depended on my athletic ability to get me by, not being smart.”

Being cut by the UFC was a wake-up call for the former junior college wrestling stand-out, not only for his fighting career but for his life outside of the cage as well.

Now almost a year and a half removed from his last fight inside the Octagon, a more humble “Rumble” has made a host of changes, particularly when it comes to the people he surrounds himself with.

“Everybody that I’m around, the whole Blackzillian crew, my manager, my family—everybody’s there for me. My circle got a lot smaller as I got older,” Johnson said. “I’m going to keep making it get smaller too. I guarantee you, whenever I turn on my phone, I’m going to have phone numbers in my phone that I don’t know who it is and they are going to say, ‘Oh, congrats. Let’s hang out whenever you come to town.’ They’re not my real friends.”

Even with the possibility of a future title shot at his preferred weight class of 205, the noticeably more mature Johnson is just taking it one fight at a time.

Johnson attributes his recent success to his work with his fellow Blackzillians, and is refusing to let his current win streak go to his head.

“I have no idea. I take one fight at a time. I don’t think about this or I don’t think about that, I just fight,” Johnson said. “They bring up a title subject or conversation—let’s talk about it. If not, let’s just keep fighting. The fans are happy, I’m happy, I’m getting paid, and I’m doing what God blessed me to do and that’s to be an athlete and have the talent to fight.”

Despite injuring his right hand in his main event battle against Arlovski, Johnson hopes to get back to training as soon as possible.

“I don’t want to slow down,” Johnson said. “Slowing down for me means I just get bigger, and I’m not trying to get bigger.”

Matt Juul is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise stated.

Be sure to like me on Facebook or follow @MattchidaMMA

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Benavidez Willing to Take the Long Road to Another Shot at the Flyweight Title

On the heels of his victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156, Joseph Benavidez could have easily made the case to get a rematch with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. But rather than step back into the Octagon with “Mighty Mouse” in quick fashion, the T…

Make no mistake about it: UFC gold is the ultimate goal for Benavidez. But having learned from past experiences, the Las Cruces native understands that rushing into opportunities may not always be the best course of action.

It wasn’t all that long ago when Benavidez was ranked as one of the top bantamweight fighters in the world. While competing under the now-defunct WEC banner, the 28-year-old had battled his way to the top of the ladder in the 135-pound weight class. But after coming out on the losing end of a No. 1 contender’s bout with Dominick Cruz and then being edged out in a split-decision loss when he contested “The Dominator’s” title a year later, Benavidez suddenly found himself in a strange position.

Despite Benavidez being one of the top 135-pound fighters under the Zuffa banner, having two losses to the current champion put him in a limbo of sorts. Even after racking up three consecutive victories over solid competition in Wagnney Fabiano, Ian Loveland and Eddie Wineland, Benavidez was nowhere to be found on the title radar.

Ultimately, his fortunes would change when the UFC made the decision late in 2011 to implement a flyweight division in the coming year. The new weight class gave the once undersized Benavidez the chance to compete at a weight better suited for his frame and a chance for the Sacramento-based fighter to re-ignite his dream of becoming a UFC champion.

Unfortunately, Benavidez would fall short of his goal of becoming the organization’s first flyweight titleholder, but he believes the setback is temporary. While Johnson may have earned the nod in their first encounter at UFC 152, Benavidez is confident the 125-pound title will one day be his.

That being said, where his ambition once drove him to jump back into a title shot impulsively, this time around, Benavidez is willing to take a few extra steps to ensure the next time he competes for the UFC title, he will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity.

The first of which will come against Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on Fox 7, and Benavidez is excited to get back to work in quick fashion.

“I was just being practical with my decision-making and looking at what was best for me,” Benavidez told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “I feel I’m getting better with every fight, and the more fights I can get in before stepping in for another title shot is all the better for me. I have no doubt I’ll get there again, but I kind of learned from the situation I was in at 135 pounds.

“I fought Dominick Cruz and lost, then he became champion. I only fought two times in between my rematch with Cruz. Yeah, they were two great performances where I was aggressive, but I didn’t have a ton of time in between, and I took another fight against Cruz for the title. And I was in limbo after that. I could have certainly gotten better during that time. But I jumped back into it.

“Now the situation with D.J., it would have been a five- or six month turnaround between fights. I just want to get better, and I think it’s great for the 125-pound division to develop a little more. It’s great and I’m honored that I probably could have gotten another title shot. That’s awesome but I wanted more time.

“It’s good for the division that they matched D.J. up with John Moraga because that’s another name people are going to be forced to know,” Benavidez added. “Plus, it allows me to go out there and fight someone else. I feel it can only help the division to get these other names out there. Like I said, I believe I’m going to fight for the title again, but I wanted to get better.

“It was too quick of a turnaround. If they would have made me do it, of course, I would have done everything in my power to go out there and get the job done. But I thought the smarter thing to do would be to take a little more time, improve my skills and let everything play itself out.”

The matchup with Uyenoyama will come 10 weeks after Benavidez’s most recent showing against Ian McCall at UFC 156 on Super Bowl weekend. While it is undoubtedly a quick turnaround, Benavidez believes he is making up for time he has lost over the past two years.

“I’m just trying to be active,” Benavidez said. “I’m still getting real comfortable in the flyweight division. I’ve gone five rounds with Mighty Mouse, which helped in the last fight with [Ian] McCall. But the more time I can get in the cage, the better. I feel I improve with every fight. The more fights I can get before I get another shot at the title is great.

“In both of the last two years, I only got to fight twice in each year. I like to fight at least three times a year and four would be great. I’m just trying to make up for that. I had a big break in between my fight with [Yasuhiro] Urushitani and my title fight against Johnson, and an even bigger break between my last bantamweight fight and waiting for the flyweight tournament to start.

“I train every day anyway, and I’m going to be fighting in the gym against animals like Urijah Faber, T.J. Dillashaw, Chad Mendes, Danny Castillo and Lance Palmer. I’m going to be training hard against those guys so why not beat somebody up and get paid for it?”

With the flyweight division entering its second year under the UFC banner, fans are still adjusting to the new faces in the weight class. Whereas veterans like Benavidez, Johnson, and McCall have established names in the fight game, a new batch of future contenders are looking to establish themselves with the organization’s fanbase.

While Uyenoyama may not have the biggest name in the division, Benavidez is fully aware of the dangers his opponent presents. He is expecting the 33-year-old California native to come out aggressive, and he can’t wait to mix it up with the former Strikeforce veteran.

“Darren is someone I’ve been looking at for a while,” Benavidez said. “I knew once he dropped down to 125 pounds it wouldn’t be long before he was a contender. All it was going to take was a big fight against a guy with a name and it just so happens that guy is me. I think it is going to be an awesome fight.

“He has a good win over Kid Yamamoto and got a finish in his first fight at flyweight and looked good doing it. He’s mainly a jiu-jitsu guy, but I think the thing that separates him from most jiu-jitsu guys is that he can also wrestle. He also has some great striking and is super aggressive. He’s going to go out there and try to bring it. This is a big opportunity for him, but I’m looking at it as a big opportunity for me as well. I’m going out there to make a statement and I’m just going to keep going. I’m having fun with these fights.

“One thing I’ve realized, especially since the title fight, is that it’s not life or death out there,” Benavidez added. “This is just what I do and I need to go out there and have fun. I kind of thought like that up to every fight in my career and treated it like it was just another day. But with the title fight, I treated it like it was life or death and didn’t go out there and perform as good as I could have. I needed to go back to my old way of thinking and I’ve done that. I’m having fun and realizing I can’t control the result. I need to go out there and have a great time. With Darren, I have a great opponent to do that against and I’m going to go out there to have fun.

“Whether it is for the title or not, a fight is always important. If I can’t beat one of the lesser known guys, then I don’t deserve to be fighting for the flyweight title. This is just going to make me better for the next time I get there and I have every intention to get there again.”

The bout with Uyenoyama will mark the fourth appearance for Benavidez at 125 pounds, and it is a process the former bantamweight contender is still getting used to. After competing for the majority of his career in the 135-pound weight class, Benavidez is beginning to see the advantages of competing against opponents who are closer to his size.

In addition to the physical differences, Benavidez is seeing his skill set reach its full potential in his new weight class. Where he once had to make adjustments to compete with larger opponents, at 125 pounds Benavidez can utilize his versatile arsenal to the fullest extent.

“Everything is going good as far as the physical things, but it is really just a luxury to fight guys my own size and not having to compromise my style because of the size difference,” Benavidez said. “I’m a pretty powerful guy, but just because I can hit hard, at 135 pounds I didn’t necessarily want to stand in front of a guy like Eddie Wineland and trade punches.

“A lot of the bigger guys I fought I had to compromise my style and get in and out as quickly as possible. I need to be putting pressure on people and getting on top of my opponents. It was a lot harder for me to take people down at 135 pounds and probably easier for them to take me down. But fighting at flyweight, I don’t have to compromise my fighting style to make up for size.

“I can use my speed, power, striking and technique to its fullest advantage because I’m going against guys my size. When I was fighting bigger guys, all those skills I work at on an everyday basis could never reach their full potential because I couldn’t use them the way I wanted to. Now I can fight the way I need to fight and I love it.”

Benavidez’s dreams of becoming a UFC champion remain as highly charged as they’ve ever been. The biggest difference this time around is his ability to allow his ambition to yield to the process needed to carry it out. The ultimate goal is to replace the framed picture of a UFC championship belt on his mantel with the official 12 pounds of gold that comes with being the best fighter in his division.

While Benavidez has chosen to take the longer road back to a title opportunity, he believes the hard work he puts in along the way will only make him that much more prepared when the moment to compete for the flyweight strap arrives.

Until then, he will continue to put on exciting fights and showcase the high-paced action that has become a trademark of the flyweight division.

“I’m going to take chances and bringing high activity,” Benavidez said. “I’m always going out there to finish someone. Whether it’s throwing a home run punch or jumping to my back to lock up a guillotine; I’m going to go for the finish. I am always going to bring excitement and people can count on me going 100 percent every time I step into that cage.

“I have an awesome opponent in Darren and it’s going to be great to fight in California again. I have teammates on the card and it’s an inspiration being able to fight with some of the guys who are on the card. Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez are two of my favorite fighters to watch, and every time I fight on a card with guys like that it is inspiring. I get to see how good those guys are and they set the bar. You get to see what is possible and what the best fighters in the world look like.

“It inspires me to go out there and want to be put in the same category as they are in. People can expect to see another exciting fight from me because I go out there and put my balls on the line every time. It’s going to be a good fight.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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