Johny Hendricks shows off chiseled physique three days before weigh-in
Dana White and UFC officials are giving Hendricks another chance to fight at welterweight after multiple flawed weight cuts, and it appears the former champ is committed to making the most of the opportunity.
Hendricks posted these photos to Sqor on Tuesday, showing off a well-defined upper body just a few days before he's slated to hit the scale for UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. (Refresh page if images do not load correctly.)
Of course, having bulging muscles doesn't mean Hendricks is going to make weight. But it shows that the former champ has been taking his diet and advice from his new nutritionist seriously, and he claims it's the "lowest I ever have been" Tuesday before a weigh-in.
To say that Hendricks has struggled with his weight cut in the past is a slight understatement.
During weigh-in for his championship fight at UFC 171, Hendricks weighed in at 171.5 pounds — 1.5 pounds above the required limit for welterweight title fights — before making the weight the second time around, to jeers from Nick Diaz.
Hendricks successfully hit 170 pounds for his next two bouts. But then he suffered an intestinal blockage and kidney stone while cutting weight for his UFC 192 matchup against Tyron Woodley and had to pull out of the fight. After that, White said he didn't want to see Hendricks at welterweight anymore.
"He blows up when he's not competing and as you continue to get older it makes it harder to make the weight." White told Megan Olivi. "He has to figure out a diet. He just lost a huge opportunity here tonight. So he needs to figure this out. I consider him an '85 pounder right now. I do not want to see him at 170 again."
Hendricks appears to have taken the statement from White to heart, and with the help of nutritionist Lou Giordano, seems to be doing everything possible to put the weight-cutting issues behind him.
We'll see how things shake out on Friday, when fighters hit the scale in Las Vegas ahead of UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson. As always, you can catch all the action, live on FS1 or here on FOXSports.com/UFC.
