J. Hendricks. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
the defeat of John hendricks for Robbie Lawler at UFC 181, which consequently cost him the welterweight belt, taught the former champion several lessons. The North American believes that the fight will force him to make some changes in preparation for his next commitments, especially with regard to weight cutting.
Hendricks, who fights in the 77 kg division, stated that he weighed almost ten kilos more than his category. “I had a bad weight cut. Maybe I can't go back up to 98 kg. I lost a lot of weight at first, but then I stopped”, explained Hendricks, in an interview with the North American broadcaster “FOX Sports”.
The aforementioned bad weight cut may have been one of those responsible for the former champion's drop in performance throughout the fight. “I thought I clearly won the first three rounds. By the fourth and fifth, my body just shut down. And he came on strong. At first, my falls were great. I was trying to take him down and pressure him to tire his arms, but the opposite ended up happening,” he commented.
Finally, Hendricks avoided criticizing the judges for the split decision and recognized his tormentor's achievement. “Robbie is the champion and now I'm excited to face someone else,” he concluded.
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