Johny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley’s long awaited showdown has finally been made official, with the two welterweights set to square off on a loaded UFC 192 card on October 3 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
News that the bout has been finalised came via the UFC’s official website. The event is headlined by the light heavyweight clash between Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson. Fellow light heavyweights Rashad Evans and Ryan Bader will also settle a score in the Octagon on the night.
As MMA expert RJ Clifford notes, the bolstered schedule for the event is a tantalising one:
Hendricks, according to MMAJunkie.com, was hoping for a third fight with current welterweight champion Robbie Lawler after beating Matt Brown in March. But the 31-year-old will have to wait for his opportunity to recapture the title. A win over Woodley would certainly propel him back into the reckoning for the ultimate prize.
Woodley will be a tough opponent, though. He’s won four of his last five fights, including two consecutive wins each over Dong Hyun Kim and Kelvin Gastelum. But the man from Missouri will be acutely aware going up against someone with the pedigree of Hendricks will be a major step up in class.
MMA expert Mike Henderson thinks the fight will be a cracker, but is unconvinced by Carlos Condit’s chances of testing Lawler in a title showdown at UFC 193:
Should Lawler emerge as victor in that bout, the natural conclusion would be for the winner of the Hendricks-Woodley fight to get a shot at the champion. Hendricks and Lawler have shared one fight each in their two meetings so far and the prospect of a third would be intriguing for fans of the UFC, given the even nature of the first two.
But Woodley is a tough character and an immaculate technician, who will go into the bout relishing his status as underdog. The 33-year-old has been on an upward curve recently and will be hoping his wrestling background comes to the fore on October 3 to enable him to secure one of the biggest wins of his career.
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