UFC 207: Johny Hendricks Will Retire With a Loss to Neil Magny
The former welterweight champion has said that he will retire should he lose to Neil Magny at UFC 207.
When Johny Hendricks steps into the cage at UFC 207 in December he may be doing it for the last time. The former champion dropped the bombshell in a recent interview with ESPN.
It was less than two-years ago that Hendricks was one of the best welterweight fighters in the world, defeating ten of his eleven opponents on his way up to the belt. While he may have been defeated by champion Georges St-Pierre he would go on to win the vacant title just one fight later.
Usually becoming a champion is a good thing but it was when Hendricks claimed the gold that things started to go down hill for him. Crowned champion in 2014 after a war with Robbie Lawler. ‘Bigg Rigg’ sat the remainder of the year out due to injury.
When he came back things did not get any better for him. He lost the rematch with Robbie Lawler in what was his first title defence and now finds himself in a very unfamiliar situation after suffering back-to-back losses.
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He has dropped his last two fights to Stephen Thompson and Kelvin Gastelum. The former 170-pound King says that should he lose for a third straight time he will call it a day on what has been a very successful career.
Speaking with ESPN’s Five Rounds, Hendricks made it pretty clear that if he loses he is done with fighting.
The last two I have lost, fair and square, I know I have. Realistically, if I go out there – and hey, crazier things have happened – I go out there and lose, that’s when it’s time to say ‘I’m done.’ I’m not gonna keep fighting to hopefully find a person I can beat.
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Hendricks has had a fantastic UFC career winning eleven of thirteen fights on his way to claiming the welterweight title. While the last two-years have not been as kind as years past for Hendricks should he suffer his third loss in a row and indeed retire, he will always be remembered as one of the best to fight inside the octagon.
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