Johny Hendricks bruised, bloodied and battered Georges St.
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November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight
title belt and a split-decision victory. With a second chance to claim the
now-vacant belt when he faces Robbie Lawler at UFC 171 in Dallas on Saturday
night, Hendricks refuses to let any frustration over that loss hinder him from
finally climbing atop the 170-pound division. "As soon as the judges announced
what they said, I had to put that in the back of my mind," Hendricks said.
"Also, as soon as I got the fight with Robbie, everything else just disappeared.
I have another great opportunity, and I dont want to waste it." Although
Hendricks (15-2) wont get the chance to claim the title directly from St.
Pierre, he hasnt showed much disappointment behind his bearded, bespectacled,
aw-shucks Oklahoma persona. He didnt have time to stew: St. Pierre, the champion
since late 2007, vacated his championship and stepped away from mixed martial
arts right after that fight, leaving the UFC to match two top contenders for the
right to be his successor. The choices were Hendricks and Lawler (22-9), a
hard-hitting veteran who crashed out of the UFC before fighting his way back
into title contention. Theyll meet at the American Airlines Center on a card
also featuring Carlos Condit against Tyron Woodley in a bout that will likely
determine the new champions next opponent. St. Pierres departure deprives the
UFC of one of its biggest stars and pay-per-view draws, but the Quebecois
champion left behind a division stacked with intriguing challengers. While
Hendricks has been the class of the group, he also knows he could lose that spot
by Sunday morning. "These other three guys, we all can make our own destiny,"
Hendricks said. "It doesnt matter if GSP is going to be here or not. Were all
exciting. I think thats what makes the fans excited now, is that they dont know
whats going to happen. They dont know if were going to knock each other out."
Hendricks was an NCAA champion wrestler at Oklahoma State before picking up MMA,
moving swiftly from smaller promotions to the UFC. He won 15 of his first 16
fights, including several against top-flight competition: Condit, Martin
Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch and T.J. Grant. But he couldnt do enough to
wrest the title away from St. Pierre, who took much more cosmetic damage in
their bout. Hendricks would love a rematch with St. Pierre if the longtime champ
ever returns, but he thinks the rugged Lawler is a tougher matchup. "Georges, he
was going to throw a jab, a high kick, a low kick, and try to take you down,"
Hendricks said confidently. "Thats his game plan. Robbie, if you make a mistake,
weve seen it time and time again that he can knock you out, so you really have
to make sure that you stay focused. Thats a lot more dangerous fight. There are
guys who can knock people out. Youre one punch away from losing, but those are
also the more fun fights for me." Hendricks badly bruised his hands in the fight
against St. Pierre, leaving him throwing punches at only a fraction of their
usual velocity. He plans to get better hand wraps from his boxing coach for this
bout. Hell need healthy hands against Lawler, a touted prospect who got dropped
from the UFC back in October 2004 after three losses in four fights. After a
series of wins in smaller-time promotions, he lost five of his eight bouts in
Strikeforce before getting a chance in the UFC, where he has strung together
three straight wins over Koscheck, Bobby Voelker and top prospect Rory MacDonald
to earn this shot. "Ive gone through a lot of ups and downs," Lawler said. "Im
just willing to get back up and grind every day to try to get better. Everything
is clicking at the right time."
Dennis
Byrd Womens Jersey . The Force had two men, including former
Wallabies No. 8 Ben McCalman, in the sin-bin in the dying minutes of the match,
but were able to resist a late Highlanders surge to post a four-try, bonus point
win.
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many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or
goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt
Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. --
The Tampa Bay Rays have reinstated reliever Joel Peralta from the 15-day
disabled list and designated left-hander Erik Bedard for assignment. The moves
were announced Monday. Peralta missed nine games bbecause of an illness.
Joe
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43 games earlier this year. Bedard was 4-6 with a 4.76 ERA in 17 games,
including 15 starts. He was dropped from the rotation in early July.
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