- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
After Rough Stretch, Ex-UFC Champ Johny Hendricks Says Wife Helped Him Renew Motivation
- Updated: December 23, 2016
It wasn’t all that long ago that Johny Hendricks looked like he was going to be a staple atop the UFC’s welterweight division.A six-fight winning streak in the Octagon led him to a showdown with then champion Georges St. Pierre, and although “Bigg Rigg” lost a split-decision, many observers thought he won the bout. When St. Pierre announced that he was taking an indefinite hiatus and vacating the belt, the hard-hitting Hendricks claimed UFC gold in an instant classic against Robbie Lawler at UFC 171. Since then, the former NCAA national champion wrestler has fallen on hard times. He lost the belt in a rematch with Lawler and has fallen in three of his last four Octagon appearances overall. After a bad weight cut forced him to pull out of a bout with Tyron Woodley at UFC 192 at the last minute, Hendricks has been severely outclassed by Stephen Thompson and Kelvin Gastelum in his most recent two outings. To make matters worse, he missed weight for his showdown with Gastelum at UFC 200. Suddenly, Hendricks was simply an also-ran in a division he once appeared primed to rule. It took a special kind of pep talk to re-ignite his competitive fire. “Right after I left Team Takedown I was sort of comfortable with where I was at. I was also still wanting to be a family guy. I wanted to spend more time with my kids, with my wife. Being 33 years old and having three kids at the time and a fourth one on the way, I sort of wanted to be a father. Being an athlete and a father are very hard to do,” Hendricks said on the UFC “Unfiltered” podcast. “My wife said after my last fight [against Gastelum], ‘You’re not fighting anymore if you fight like that.’ So …
