It’s tough to know what to make of Johny Hendricks at this point in his MMA career. It seems strange to criticise a fighter who just dominated Matt Brown, but an honest assessment of the former champion’s UFC 185 performance must acknowledge the palpable disappointment of the home crowd.
Whatever happened to the Big Rigg who could stiffen opponents with a mere whiff of his left hand? Then again, this flattering perception of his power may simply be the product of our innate selection bias.
The images of Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann toppling like they’d been felled by a lumberjack are not easily forgotten. Hendricks’ unspectacular wins over the likes of Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce don’t enjoy such premium placement in the collective memory of the MMA fanbase.
Previously more famous for looking happy while sporting a beard than for anything he did inside the Octagon, Hendricks had finally turned a corner in the eyes of the fans with his wins over Fitch and Kampmann. He was the welterweight division’s answer to Dan Henderson, or so it appeared.
Even his wrestling-heavy win over a game Carlos Condit at UFC 158 was utterly compelling. And as he proved against Georges St-Pierre and in his title-winning effort against Robbie Lawler, Hendricks didn’t even need to starch opponents to bring the crowd to its feet.
Something has been missing from his past couple of outings, though. There is an element of safety to Hendricks’ recent performances that I am loath to begrudge, but few would deny how frustrating they were to watch.
Hendricks struggled to make weight for his UFC 181 title defence against Lawler, so his poor showing in the championship rounds was easy to rationalize. However, his buzz-killing performance against Brown wasn’t the return to form we anticipated and even drew mild criticism from UFC President Dana White.
In scrutinising his performances and caviling over minor details, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Hendricks may still be the best welterweight on the planet. On merit, there is no question he deserves a shot at the winner of Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald.
The problem is the UFC is only part meritocracy. Success generally requires the approval of the fans, and Hendricks’ approval rating arguably resides just above that of Congress.
In the end, the former champion may benefit more from the 170-pound division’s lack of viable contenders than his own in-cage performances. And that’s a perception he should be motivated to change.
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