Free agent Hendricks: UFC wants me back, at welter
Johny Hendricks: “Right after my last fight I emailed them saying, ‘Hey, I want to go back to 170. Obviously, y’all don’t want me at 185. I understand.'”
Once Johny Hendricks was the UFC welterweight champion of the world. However, he lost his belt to Robbie Lawler via Split Decision on December 6, 2014 and is now 2-6 his last 8. He missed the welterweight limit twice in a row and moved up to middleweight, scoring an impressive KO over Hector Lombard. However, he missed the middleweight cut off and was TKOed by Tim Boetsch in Round 2. And then he was TKOed by Paulo Costa in Round 2. And his UFC contract has expired.
I’m a free agent, said Hendricks, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. I am up for grabs. The UFC stills wants me. They want me back at 170 [pounds] and I agree. If you’re gonna keep giving me these big ol’ 85 pounders, I’ve got to get back down to 170.
I’ve got to fight back to what I want to get to. I’m not that type of guy that says, ‘No, I think I deserve more.’ I will get back to where I want to be at the welterweight division. I really do believe that. I’m starting to get faster. I’m working with a trainer here, Ryan. He’s been working on my fast-twitch movement, he’s been working on my speed – quickness, explosion – and whenever I’m doing these things and then I go back and train boxing or whatever, everyone can see that I’m getting quicker and my weight is coming down.
Right after my last fight I emailed them saying, ‘Hey, I want to go back to 170. Obviously, y’all don’t want me at 185. I understand.’ And realistically, the only reason I went up to 185 was because I thought I had one more fight on my contract. So I go, screw 170, I’m gonna go to 85 and then we can renegotiate a contract. . .
Needless to say, I got two big ol’ boys and it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. But after fighting those fights, it really brought back something in me because I was like, ‘Dude, they don’t kick that hard.’ I still hurt all those 85-pounders with my punches and with my kicks. So if I can hurt 85-pounders, what can I do if I go back to 170? It sort of built my confidence back up to where I believe in my power, I believe in what I can do.