Tim Kennedy Blasts Johny Hendricks’ Weight Cutting Issues
The weight cutting issues have continued for former welterweight champion Johny “Big Rigg” Hendricks. The former Oklahoma State wrestler has been known for having to cut a ton of weight to get down to the 170-pound limit, and it has hindered his performances in the past, specifically when he lost his title to current champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler.
“Bigg Rigg” has worked with highly-touted nutritional coach Mike Dolce, but decided that it was better to do things on his own. Hendricks looked to have found a new focus, and dedication coming into his UFC 185 bout with Matt Brown last March in terrific shape, but the same can’t be said for his scheduled UFC 192 bout with Tyron Woodley.
The two were supposed to meet at this past Saturday’s (October 3, 2015) event, and the former champion actually looked to be pretty lean. However, he was forced out of the bout just a day before weigh-ins when his body reportedly shut down due to the weight cut.
In the aftermath of the unfortunate news, UFC president Dana White not only awarded Woodley with a title shot, but also said that Hendricks will now have to move up to 185-pounds, and compete as a middleweight.
“Bigg Rigg” has yet to comment on White’s decision, but he has already been welcomed to the middleweight division by No. 6-ranked Tim Kennedy, who recently took to twitter to blast Hendricks, and his weight cutting issues:
Welcome to the middleweight division @JohnyHendricks #weightwatchers #weightcut #UFC192
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) October 2, 2015
Despite still being quite highly ranked, Kennedy has taken some time away from the sport, having not competed since last September when he dropped an extremely controversial TKO loss to Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero at UFC 178.
The former soldier has talked in recent months about his future, indicating that he still plans on fighting. Possibly Kennedy could return to truly welcome Hendricks to the 185-pound division?
