Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley Rumored For UFC 189
Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks got back into the win column at March 14’s UFC 185 from Dallas, Texas, grinding Matt Brown into the canvas with a one-sided display of wrestling skill.
Yet many fans and pundits weren’t all that impressed with “Bigg Rigg’s” performance, believing the formerly explosive knockout artist to be playing it safe in order to hang on to his No. 1 ranking spot. While Hendricks took a vocal stance and called out for the next title shot after the win, he may in reality have to fight at least one more time to earn it.
Conventional logic would dictate that Hendricks should most likely face No. 3-ranked Tyron Woodley, who is currently on the sidelines nursing a broken foot suffered in his UFC 183 decision win over Kelvin Gastelum.
Apparently, “The Chosen One” is healing fast and campaigning hard for a bout with “Bigg Rigg.” Ariel Helwani detailed a recent conversation he had with Woodley on UFC Tonight:
“I spoke to Tyron Woodley yesterday. He tells me that his foot, which he broke in the first round against Kelvin Gastelum just a couple months ago, it’s healing very well. He has three weeks left in the boot, and he really wants that fight against Johny Hendricks.
He wants it, in fact, on July 11, UFC 189, he wants to fight on the same card as the welterweight title fight between champion Robbie Lawler and challenger Rory MacDonald because he wants to show the world he is ready, after a win over Johny Hendricks, to, you know, fight for the belt.”
Helwani said the bout is still in its initial negotiation phases, as Woodley isn’t one hundred percent guaranteed to be healthy by UFC 189. But he would apparently make sure it happened if he could get Hendricks to sign on the dotted line:
“Right now there have been some preliminary talks; but nothing official just yet. He said conservatively he would be able to come back late summer, but if he is guaranteed a fight against Hendricks on July 11, he will do whatever in his power to fight on that card; one of the biggest fight cards of the year thus far.”
It’s obvious that Woodley wants to settle his NCAA wrestling rivalry with Hendricks in the Octagon, and that’s the clearest path to a coveted UFC welterweight title shot. What’s unclear, however, is whether or not Hendricks will want to risk his top contender spot to face an opponent like him. Stay tuned for more details on the potential blockbuster bout as they arise.
Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
