It looks like former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks will be sticking around in the 170-pound division after all. That is, of course, if he’s able to make friends with the scale by February 5th.
On Saturday, UFC announced four fights for their UFC 196 pay-per-view in Las Vegas, including Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Jared Rosholt, Josh Burkman vs. K.J. Noons, Mike Pyle vs. Sean Spencer and the aforementioned “Big Rigg” Hendricks vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson welterweight clash.
After forcing the last-minute cancellation of his scheduled fight with Tyron Woodley at UFC 192 in October, Hendricks was told by UFC President Dana White that he must fight at 185 pounds due to his inability to make the 170 pound limit to compete as a welterweight.
While no official announcement was made regarding the reason why White is allowing Hendricks to remain at 170 pounds, one would assume if he fails to make weight for the Thompson fight in February, he will then have to move up to the middleweight division.
Headlined by the UFC Heavyweight Championship rematch between Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez, UFC 196 takes place on Saturday, February 6th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
