In all honesty...where does Johny Hendricks career go after these 2 losses

[zxyss25]

After beating Matt Brown about 18 months ago, and looking primed to avenge his loss against Robbie Lawler in an epic trilogy ending, but they went with Rory instead for Lawler and Johny was put in a very winnable #1 contender fight against up and coming, yet unproven contender in Woodley.

We all know Hendricks couldnt make weight, and this was a wakeup call to get his weight in order.

With his health back on track, they placed him in a fight against Wonderboy, where Hendricks was a heavy favorite, because many outside of the MMA faithful did not realize how talented Wonderboy was.

Hendricks got destroyed in a very one sided match against Wonderboy, and as a result in his next match, found himself on the undercard of a PPV against a very highly touted prospect in Kelvin Gastelum.

At UFC 200, Gasteleum put on by far his best performance, and his work with Rafael Cordero showed, as Gastelum took a decision.

Now after three setbacks, the former champion finds himself in the lower portion of the top 10, his left hand his been figured out, his wrestling is not as dominant as it used to be, and he is getting older, with the weight cuts taking more and more out of him.

So does he...
A- Ask for a tough opponent and try to get back to contention -

options would be Jake Ellenberger, Rory if he resigns, Maia/Condit loser

B- Ask for a winnable fight, maybe even one where he can score a KO win, and start looking for wins against lesser competition, but wins that wont get him in title contention

optinos would be Tarec Saffedine, Jorge Masvidal, Bryan Barbarera, Patrick Cote

 

[Warh3z]

In all honesty...where does Johny Hendricks career go after these 2 losses

To middleweight one would hope.

 

[Bmurray]

Losses happen, but all that weight-management stuff...doesn't bode well.

 

[Your Account]

 

[Pascal Bergeron]

he will probably go to bellator to be honest. Fan dont like him and he has lost 3 of his last 4 fight

 

[ElCasca]

Becoming a solid gatekeeper

 

[Gabe]

He should quit being a fatty and get his diet in check. We all know that will never happen though.

 

[Andre Xiong]

tough spot, can he even make 170 safely and without sacrificing other aspects (cardio, muscle mass, technique training)? he's got a new diet guy but the issue seems to be him (saying in a serious tone that he can eat the burgers but not the fries was disappointing, that's something I would say as mere citizen with an office desk who sort of works out)

 

[Bradstones]

 

[dog y]

Nearest burger joint

 

[thatdude21601]

Fights Chris Camozzi at 185, or loser of Larkin/Magney if he intends to stay at 170.

 

[The guest]

Let's face it. He's not the same guy. Having big problems with weight. Now he doesn't even want to go to Vegas.

Move him to MW and feed him a scrub somewhere other than Vegas. A sure win and maybe get him some confidence back.

Or just turf him if he refuses to move up and let him go to Bellator.

 

[CountOfSoCal]

I kind of want to see Hendricks/Barberena just to see Barberena pull another upset.

 

[Kumason]

He's looked pretty bad compared to normal and this weight thing is obviously an issue.I say get healthy,fight at 185,be a ton ten'ish,get some semi big fights,make some money,then retire.Or maybe he get's his weight in order and looks for another belt at 170,and he could of course,but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[mjmj]

How can you write that much text and never mention his weight issues?

 

[e92m3]

I am very confident he gets booked against masvidal and I think masvidal beats him. I also think him vs Cerrone would be a great fight to watch.

 

[LMNT]

He still has potential for an awesome comeback if he could get his mind right.

 

[The Big Bang]

Hot dog eating contests.

 

[JokersKnife]

Dipping below 70% that's for sure.

 

[WinZip]

Honestly? He needs to make a decision here. He can dedicate himself to fighting and learn to control his diet and remain a WW, or he can move to MW. At MW, though, he's going to be obliterated by guys much larger than he is. He'll find himself on the losing end of a beatdown and probably want to come back to WW.

If he stays at WW, I really don't see him getting his weight under control. He doesn't seem to have the motivation, the discipline, or the mental strength. He's a great fighter, but he's looked absolutely awful, and he's made it so much worse by calling out the fans who complained about him not making weight.

I almost feel sorry for him, but then I remember how much he seems to hate the fans of the sport, so my sympathy is pretty limited.