Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks has had a rough run of late, losing three straight dating back to just over a year ago, and missing weight in his last two fights. However, Sunday night in Halifax, NS, Hendricks got back on track, scoring a unanimous decision win over former Bellator champion Hector Lombard. For Hendricks, it was his middleweight debut, and after struggling to make the 170lb limit for the better part of a year, Hendricks looked reinvigorated in his new weight class — and much happier.
At the UFC Fight Night 105 post-fight press conference, Hendricks addressed how his new weight class changed things for him.
this fight week was fun, it wasn’t a miserable fight week. that’s really the only way to explain it to you. It became fun again.
I’m not killing myself, whenever I go home I don’t have to worry about my kidneys shutting down, don’t have to worry about none of that.
I want to stay 205, 210 like I have been… …the next fight, I’m going to be better. I’m going to have better cardio. Those are the things that scare me a little bit. How much better could I be?
Hendricks, who missed weight in his last two fights prior to Sunday’s middleweight debut, told reporters that his kidneys had failed for five days back when he was trying to make the welterweight limit. When asked if he regretted not moving to middleweight sooner, Hendricks answered with a clear “Yes” then elaborated:
You make such a good mark at 170, you know what I’m saying. We made such a good mark at 170, it’s hard to give that up. It really was, it was so hard to give that up. Now that I look back, it’s like you’re an idiot for not doing that sooner.
Hendricks also suggested that he’s still interested in fighting Georges St. Pierre, who recently announced he was returning to the UFC. Hendricks lost a close decision to GSP back in 2013 at UFC 167. It was St. Pierre’s final fight to date. Rumors have since made the rounds suggesting that the welterweight legend could be interested in fighting at middleweight.
