Johny Hendricks Doesn’t Care About Fighting GSP Again

Johny Hendricks’ failed attempt at Georges St-Pierre’s Welterweight title changed the landscape of the division for the foreseeable future, and as GSP walks away from his title it all suddenly becomes a lot more exciting.

Hendricks is now booked to face Robbie Lawler for the vacant strap and so he might feel that the controversial decision at UFC 167 will soon be a distant memory. He faces a hard-hitting KO artist in ‘Ruthless’, but will get the chance to claim the belt he covets so much. ‘Bigg Rigg’ stopped by with MMAFighting.com to talk about his future in the division:

“I want the target on my back,” he said. “I want everybody to come after me. That’s been my goal since I started fighting. Is that I want the gold and I want everybody to sit there saying, ‘I want to beat that guy.’

A win against Lawler would certainly put a target on the back of Hendricks, in a division full of highly talented marksmen. Some might say be careful what you wish for, although Hendricks put a very impressive performance in against one of the GOAT, and very nearly won.

Hendricks is firm in his opinion of GSP and states that it was never about ‘Rush’, it was simply about his quest for UFC gold:

“I don’t care about that, I want the target on my back,” he said. “I want everybody to come after me. That’s been my goal since I started fighting. Is that I want the gold and I want everybody to sit there saying, ‘I want to beat that guy.’

St-Pierre has faced big mountains in the past; his shocking TKO loss to Matt Serra and also a loss to Matt Hughes left GSP with a lot on his plate. He bounced back convincingly both times, but Perhaps ‘Bigg Rigg’ really sealed thwe deal considering St-Pierre’s mindset on fighting.

Would the situation have been different had GSP finished Hendricks early on? Maybe a dominating performance for ‘Rush’ would have set him back on the straight and narrow, but the fact is we will never know. There is a great chance that the two will meet, should St-Pierre return; so what would the result be the second time around if GSP is mentally sound this time?

PHOTO CREDIT: USA TODAY SPORTS