It’s a big weekend in the UFC with MMA icon and welterweight champion and November Muscle & Fitness cover star Georges St-Pierre (24-2 MMA, 18-2 UFC) taking on what many consider as his greatest challenge to date in the form of Johny Hendricks (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) this Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Hendricks has a stellar wrestling background as a multiple NCAA champion, and he also possesses some one-hitter quitter power in his left hand, which has put more than one opponent to sleep in the Octagon over the course of his career. The normally Zen St-Pierre, who was last in action on March 16 when he defeated Nick Diaz by unanimous decision, seems intense about facing and conquering the challenge that faces him this weekend.
“I’m obsessed with Johny Hendricks. That’s all I think about,” he said, according to Yahoo! Sports. “To be a fighter, you have to be crazy in the head, and I am. All I think about is what I’m going to do to Johny Hendricks. I’m thinking about the same thing, day after day, night after night. But it’s the job.”
There was some disquiet among the fighters in the lead up to the fight surrounding drug testing. St-Pierre and Hendricks’ representatives reportedly struck an agreement to undergo enhanced drug testing outside that demanded by the Nevada Athletic Commission. St-Pierre decided to submit to Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) testing, but Hendricks decided to go with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) testing. The two have exchanged taunts in the press leading up to the fight, and Hendricks seems riled up by the fallout.
“He’s trying to play mind games. He’s trying to get me angry,” he said, according to the Toronto Sun. “The only thing is, it’s going to make me hit him that much harder. I can’t wait to freaking deck the crap out of him. I want his eyes to roll back in his head. That’s my goal.”
So, who do you think will have his hands raised in victory? Will St-Pierre continue to cement his legacy as one of the greats, or will Hendricks be the man who beat the man? Let us know what you think. And make sure to check out the all-veteran battle between Rashad Evans (18-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) and Chael Sonnen (29-13-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC) on the pay-per-view undercard, which also features Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald, Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley and Ali Bagautinov vs. Timothy Elliott.
