After three straight defeats at welterweight and a couple of botched weight cuts, former division champion Johny Hendricks will finally make the jump up to middleweight, as he faces hard-hitting contender Hector Lombard in the co-main event of this weekend’s (Sun., Feb. 19, 2017) UFC Fight Night 105 event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The move up, according to "Bigg Rigg," was something he saw coming a mile away after United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) implemented a ban preventing fighters from rehydrating using intravenous (IV) methods.
"Making 170 isn’t fun, it was never fun," said Johny on recent edition of the "UFC: Unfiltered" podcast. "It took a toll on me mentally and physically to where I wasn’t enjoying this, fighting wasn’t fun. But I knew I needed to do that, but, there is a part of me that knew I had to go to 185 once the IV ban came in."
And take a toll on his body it did, as evidenced by this.
Now that he no longer has to make the brutal cut down to 170 pounds, Hendricks says he is enjoying life, food and even the rigors of training.
"I’m 12 (pounds) over right now. I’m eating, drinking whatever I want and enjoying life again. I am also enjoying training. I’m training twice a day," he added. "In the past, there were times where I had to pick and choose which workouts you had to go hard at because you wouldn’t be able to do that for the second one. Especially when you’re cutting weight."
While the move up seems to have worked wonders for Johny’s lifestyle and well being, there is no telling if it will do the same for his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, as losing four consecutive bouts won’t look good when it comes time for the promotion to start thinning the herd.
And facing a heavy-hitter like Lombard doesn’t make it easier for Hendricks to pick up an all-important "W." Still, "Bigg Rigg" is confident he has the power to do some damage in his new weight class.
"He used to be a welterweight, so I though I had to fight him there. He moved up. And with me wanting to move up, too, it came to light perfectly for me and what I want to do. like I said, I do believe I have the power to be at '85."
For more on the upcoming UFC Fight Night 105 fight card click here.