UFC Welterweight contender Johny Hendricks, the #2 ranked man in the division per the November 2012 Bloody Elbow Meta-Rankings, is not going to fight again until he gets a title shot against champion Georges St. Pierre. He also thinks that GSP’s camp is more open to fighting the suspended Nick Diaz next because Diaz is the easier fight.
Here’s what Hendricks told MMA Junkie radio on Friday:
“I’m not going to fight unless it’s for a belt. Nothing else matters but the belt. My last three fights were guys in the top five, and I finished two of those three fights. I stated my claim. My stock’s really high right now, and the only thing left is to get a shot at that belt.
“He’s trying to keep money from my kids. If I win that belt and take it from him, my life changes. He’s trying to not give me the fair shot. That’s crazy to me to think this guy is trying to control my future. That makes me want to win that much even more.
“Here is a guy is trying to pull out a curveball saying, ‘We really don’t think we can win with this guy, but we think we can beat Nick Diaz.’ That’s what it sounds like to me.
“I think I’m going to be fighting GSP in six months – April or May. I want GSP, and nothing else matters. Nobody else is in the equation in my mind. But hypothetically, as long as it takes (to get GSP is how long I’ll wait). You only get so many opportunities to fight at the top level and stay at the top level.
“I can’t keep fighting and being the No. 1 contender for years. There has to be a time to take a stand, and I feel like now is that time.”
First off, the reason that both GSP’s camp and the UFC prefer GSP vs Diaz to GSP vs Hendricks is simple economics. Nick Diaz is a publicity lightning rod who will plain and simply draw more PPV buys than Hendricks can.
Secondly, regardless of that, Hendricks is doing the right thing by running his mouth and creating controversy. Conflict generates attention and it’s known that the UFC likes to reward guys who create publicity with title shots.
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