Johny Hendricks body 'shut down' at UFC 181 following botched weight cut

If you compete at welterweight, it's probably not the best idea to be walking around as a heavyweight prior to starting training camp.

That was one of the hurdles former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight titleholder Johny Hendricks had prior to his UFC 181 rematch against Robbie Lawler, which went to the judges' scorecards last Sat. night (Dec. 6, 2014) in Las Vegas, Nevada, and awarded "Ruthless" the division title (highlights).

Hendricks explains his "hiccup" to FOX Sports.

"I thought I clearly won the first three rounds. The fourth and fifth round, the body just shut down. He came on strong. Early on, my takedowns were great. I was trying to wear him down, grind him and get his arms tired, but it did the total opposite. This was a little hiccup. I had a bad weight cut. Maybe I can't balloon up to 215 pounds. The weight came off early and then it stopped. Robbie is the champion, and now I get excited to fight someone else."

Must be all that wild hog.

Hendricks, who puts his pre-fight diet in the hands of famed weight-cutting guru Mike Dolce, also struggled to hit his mark in his last appearance at UFC 171 (more on that here). It probably didn't help that he spent a significant portion of his time off rehabbing an injury and unable to train.

But with "Bigg Rigg" tied with Lawler at one apiece, there is a pretty good chance these two will be slugging it out in the not-too-distant future, depending on when and if Rory MacDonald get the next crack at the 170-pound crown.

More UFC 181 results and fallout right here.