The Team Takedown WEC takeover continues.
Welterweight Johny Hendricks (3-0) is confirmed to go to battle against Alex "The Russian Crusher" Serdyukov (8-4) at WEC 36 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on September 10.
Hendricks joins camp mates and fellow Oklahoma State University (OSU) alumni wrestling standouts Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller on the Zuffa-owned mixed martial arts promotion's roster.
Hendricks is a very interesting prospect -- he's a two-time national champion collegiate wrestler at OSU, earning All-American accolades all four years as a Cowboy. He just missed three-peating as the Division I NCAA 165-pound national champion in 2007 when he lost in the final to Mark Perry -- a standout from the University of Iowa.
As a professional mixed martial artist, Hendricks has been impressive as well. In his debut last September, he scored a third round technical knockout over Victor Ratcliff at Masters of the Cage 16.
He took one more fight in 2007, a second round technical knockout against Spencer Cowley. Then in March of this year, Hendricks earned his first win by submission by using a D'arce choke to beat Richard Gamble in the first round.
There is a ton of potential for this kid to become a star in the WEC welterweight division. If he can parlay his already worldclass wrestling credentials into a solid all around MMA game, he will be a very dangerous fighter for years to come.
However, things won't be easy for Hendricks in his first fight on the big stage.
"The Russian Crusher" is a seven-fight WEC veteran who has been in the professional MMA game since 2003 and comes into this fight riding a three-fight win streak.
Three of Serdyukov's four career losses have come at the hands of John Alessio (twice) and Jon Fitch, and he also has notable wins over Mark Weir (18-15), Ryan Stonitsch (8-1) and most recently Luis Sapo (15-2) at WEC 34.
This is a solid addition to a card that is already headlined by two title fights. WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber will defend his strap for the sixth time against world ranked Mike Brown, and undefeated middleweight champion Paulo Filho will finally give Chael Sonnen his long awaited and much deserved rematch.
The WEC continues to deliver quality fight cards. Keep an eye on Johny Hendricks, he could be a show stealer.
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