Thank the lord this is happening, if Condit wins, Finally no more Hendricks shit talking. Hoping we get GSP/Maia now! Maia Probably needs one more win, but still, I'd love to see that fight.
Canadian contender Rory MacDonald (14-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has suffered a neck injury in training and has been forced to withdraw from a planned UFC 158 matchup with Carlos Condit (28-6, 5-2). However, the "Natural Born Killer" will still face a fellow top-ranked opponent as Johny Hendricks (14-1, 9-1) has agreed to fill the open slot.
USA TODAY Sports learned of the shuffle while speaking with UFC President Dana White late Monday evening.
"Once we knew Rory had to withdraw, we started looking for potential replacements," White said. "Johny Hendricks called me and said he wanted that fight, so we're going to give it to him a shot at Carlos."
Condit and MacDonald were scheduled for the co-main event of "UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz," which takes place March 16 at Montreal's Bell Centre. The winner was expected to hold an envious position in the company's ultra-competitive 170-pound division and potentially earn a shot at the welterweight title. That might have left Hendricks, who recently dispatched of perennial contender Martin Kampmann in just 46 seconds, again waiting his turn.
Hendricks was already on the fight card at UFC 158, where he was expected to face Jake Ellenberger (28-6, 7-2). But by moving into the matchup with Condit, a onetime title challenger, "Bigg Rigg" now likely boosts his chances for earning a title shot of his own with a victory.
Ellenberger is still expected to compete at the event against an opponent to be determined.
White also revealed his first selection to fill MacDonald's position was incoming Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine (14-3, 0-0). However, the UFC boss said the Belgian fighter turned down the opportunity, allowing Hendricks to step in against Condit.
UFC 158 features a welterweight title bout between current champion Georges St-Pierre and former Strikeforce title holder Nick Diaz. The evening's main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Well Mr. Hendricks, you wanted the top of the division, now you get it. Condit finishes JH and bumps him back down the line. Still bummed about Rory and Condit not happening but to see JH shut up will certainly be a good consolation prize.
I don't understand why Hendricks would want this fight. It's on the same card and he was going to get a title shot anyway if he beat Ellenberger so what's the point? I personally would rather stick to training for the guy I've been training for weeks for.
...Oh Damn. Here come the fireworks! Wow- this changes the whole dynamics. So cool. This fight is pretty unpredictable. Both Johny & Carlos are unpredictable. I doubt very much he will land a one-punch dinger on Carlos. Johny's striking has improved drastically but he doesn't have as many weapons on the feet as Condit does. Hendricks has serious strength to put Carlos on his back like GSP did. Johny uses his mighty wrestling, he could decision Condit. If Hendricks stands with Condit, Carlos is too crafty to get caught with in & out great combinations and if Johny gets cocky, Condit can land a flying knee at will and end the fight just like that. If it stays on the feet, Carlos should get the nod. If Hendricks gets multiple takedowns like GSP, Johny should get the nod. Another dagger is that either guy can finish one another in a blink! What an insane fight this is going to be...
Not sure why Hendricks would want the Codnit fight, knowing the odds of him getting GSP in the end if Diaz gets the boot why not keep preparing for a wrestler cause opponent #3 is gonna get confusing especially considering Condit is not even slightly close to GSP.
This is a shame. I really was looking forward to MacDonald vs Condit 2 and Hendricks vs Ellenberger. Hendricks vs Condit and Marquardt vs Ellenberger also are very good match ups but I would've liked to see the original match ups happen a bit more,these things happen in MMA.
I think Hendricks will be able to beat Condit by over powering him, landing the more damaging strikes on the feet and controlling Condit in the grappling. though I expect the fight to go the distance and be pretty closely contested. Marquardt vs Ellenberger is a very hard fight to pick a winner I'm gonna have to think about this match up for a bit before I give my opinion.
Damnit I'm not a fan of this. It'll be entertaining, don't get me wrong. But Condit's one of my favorites and I think Hendricks deserves a title shot, so something's gotta give. Really sucks Rory Mac got hurt.
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