Can Hendricks pull an upset at UFC 167?
By BOB EMANUEL JR. | Scripps Howard News Service
Just ask Johny Hendricks. He believes he can take the UFC Welterweight Championship from current title-holder Georges St-Pierre, whom he’ll fight at Saturday’s UFC 167 in Las Vegas, Nev.
“It’s a feeling,” Hendricks said earlier this week on a conference call to promote the event. “There’s desire and want. There’s something inside of me that you can’t explain. When I was winning my national titles in wrestling, I didn’t know I was going to win, but I had that desire and I had that drive, and that’s what drove me to win. You never know when you’re going to win. You never know when you’re going to lose. That’s the beauty of our sport. I believe this is my time. I’ve done everything I can.”
Hendricks, who won the 2005 and 2006 NCAA championship at 165 pounds at Oklahoma State, is on a six-fight winning streak, including a decision victory over former interim champion Carlos Condit earlier this year to improve to 15-1. His power could be the deciding factor if he is to secure an upset victory. Eight of his 15 victories came via punches. But St-Pierre, the two-time UFC welterweight champion who has held the title since December 2007, said he is prepared.
“I know in this fight I’m going to get hit,” St-Pierre said. “You don’t have a fight without getting hit … That’s very rare. Of course, I’m going to get hit. I’m ready for it. I’ve done the best I can to prepare myself the best I can be, that’s why I’m very confident for this fight. I’ve had the best training camp in my career. I’m in the best shape of my life. I left no stone unturned. I’m very, very confident.”
St-Pierre, who will attempt to move one behind Anderson Silva’s UFC-record of 10 consecutive title defenses with a victory, acknowledges Hendricks’ place as a top contender.
“I believe, as time goes by, the fighters get better all the time,” St-Pierre said. “Johny Hendricks, I believe, is the best guy I fought in my entire career. I train for Johny to prepare for the best guy I ever faced. The more pressure I have on me, the better I perform.”
The main card, which can be seen on pay-per-view (5 p.m. HST), will also feature light heavyweights Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen, welterweights Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler, welterweights Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley and flyweights Tim Elliott vs. Ali Bagautinov.
QUICK JABS: It may have taken an additional two weeks and it may appear on cable TV instead of pay-per-view, but Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will finally make his Bellator MMA debut at Bellator 108 on Friday at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Jackson, who was slated to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at Bellator 106 Nov. 2, will face Joey Beltran in Friday’s main event. Jackson’s bout with Ortiz was canceled when Ortiz suffered a fracture in his neck during training. “I want to thank Joey Beltran for stepping up for the fight so I can get my first Bellator victory out of the way,” said Jackson, a former UFC and PRIDE champion. “He’ll have the unfortunate honor of taking the (butt) whooping I was going to give Tito. My body is in incredible shape right now. I feel like I did in PRIDE, and Joey Beltran is the right guy to put on an exciting fight and showcase what I’ve been working on.” Bellator 108 will also feature a heavyweight championship bout when Alexander Volkov attempts to defend his title against Vitaly Minakov and the Season Nine featherweight tournament finale, which pits Patricio “Pitbull” Freire against Justin Wilcox. Bantamweights Marcos Galvao and Tom McKenna will also be on the main card.
