With a four-fight win streak in his back pocket and a number one contender fight against Martin Kampmann coming up at UFC 154 on Nov., 17, 2012 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Johny Hendricks is only one win away from fulfilling the ultimate mixed martial arts (MMA) goal:
Competing for a world title under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner.
The two scrappy 170-pounders will step inside the Octagon in just under two weeks to determine who will get the next shot at competing for the promotion's welterweight title, which will be unified immediately after their bout in the headlining title fight between Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit.
"Big Rigg" spoke to BJPenn.com to discuss his upcoming bout against "The Hitman" and gave his predictions on the much-anticipated title fight between "Rush" and "The Natural Born Killer."
"There are a couple of questions, first and foremost how strong is GSP's knee? I'm hoping that it's 100% because then it's going to be a great fight. If his knee is 100% then we have to ask how strong Condit's takedown defense is. If GSP can take him down then it will be his fight all the way, but if his knees aren't good and he hesitates to take the shot then Condit is pretty deadly with his knees. If it turns into a stand-up battle I would have to give the edge to Condit."
Before St. Pierre and Condit handle their business, Hendricks looks to earn his shot at vying for UFC gold as he takes on the always tough and durable Dane, Martin Kampmann:
"I'm definitely preparing for a three round fight with Kampmann. I would never go into a fight thinking I'm going to knock anyone out. I always dream about it, but in reality I go into each fight expecting it to be a hard three round fight. If I don't train for that then I'm kidding myself because you never know how a fight is going to go. I could hit him with everything I have and he might not go down. He's not going to quit, he's going to take a lot of punishment especially considering there is a title shot on the line. In my mind I'm expecting to see the best Kampmann we've seen and for him to fight harder than he ever has."
Of course, should St. Pierre come out on top and if Dana White can make a ‘super fight' happen between "Rush" and current middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva, Hendricks or Kampmann will probably have to sit out for a lengthy period of time to contend for the belt.
Then again, the waiting game will be much shorter should Condit prove victorious.
Anyone agree with Hendricks' comments? Can Condit outstrike St. Pierre on the feet? Or will "GSP" turn it into a wrestling match?
Will Hendricks get past Kampmann for his first-ever shot at UFC gold?