Former UFC welterweight champion Johnny Hendricks has announced he will come out of retirement to fight Brennan Ward in a bare-knuckle boxing contest.
“Big Rigg” retired last year after a comprehensive defeat to Paulo Costa at UFC217 citing issues with weight cutting as well as MMA judging as his reasons for walking away from the sport.
Multiple botched weight cuts, as well as losing five of his last six fights seemed to tarnish Hendricks reputation as a stone cold killer. Many seem to forget the calibre of opponent he beat in the past, Josh Koschiek, Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawlor and Matt Brown to name a few.
It has also been argued from dusk until dawn that “Big Rigg” beat pound-for-pound great Georges St-Pierre in their 2013 bout that led to GSP’s subsequent retirement.
Also, throughout his final run of six fights he faced some tough opposition in UFC title contenders, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Kelvin Gastelum.
So, overall it is important to note that the former D1 wrestler had a stellar career inside the Octagon, and at 35 years of age should still be able to compete.
With that in mind, it has been reported by FightBookMMA that Hendricks is set to headline WBKFF 1, ‘Rise of the Titans’ on November 9.
His opponent, Brennan Ward will be well known to MMA fans having fought under the Bellator banner since 2012, with his most high-profile fight coming against English striker, Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley.
Whilst Hendricks retired from combat sports last year, Ward was set to return to the cage in October, but injury has forced him out of this return. He has since opted to focus solely on boxing, signing a multi-fight deal with WBKFF (World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation).
Hendricks may have retired from MAA fighting, but for fans of “Big Rigg” it is an exciting prospect to see him step back into the combat sporting world and showcase the legendary striking ability that made him such a feared champion only a few short years ago.
The November 9 fight card will be pay-per-view event and will also feature a bout between Chris Leben and Phil Baroni.
