MONTREAL — Johny Hendricks said Wednesday he thinks UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is hiding from him.
“It seems like it,” Hendricks told a group of media at the open workouts ahead of Saturday’s UFC 158 in Montreal, where St-Pierre will defend his belt against Nick Diaz in grudge match that the champ asked for.
Hendricks, who is on a five-fight win streak and has first-round knockouts in three of them, is one of many who believed that he rightfully deserved the title shot ahead of Diaz, but the fast-rising 29-year-old is instead fighting Carlos Condit in the co-main event of the show at the Bell Centre.
Hendricks explained how he felt there was no need for St-Pierre to ask for the Diaz fight now — even though the Canadian desperately wanted it — when it could have easily taken place after a matchup with him.
“Let’s say GSP beats me, ‘Sweet,’ they still have the super-fight (with Diaz). GSP loses, ‘Sweet,’ they still have the super-fight,” Hendricks said.
But Hendricks isn’t bitter and believes his time will still come.
“I have to get past Carlos Condit,” said Hendricks, whose smile protrudes from his trademark shaggy beard. “Once I do, it’s GSP time. If I beat Carlos Condit, nobody’s in my way. GSP can’t hide from me forever, you know.”
#ufc158 co-headliner @johnyhendrickssays it seems like GSP is hiding from him. Also has some choice words for Diaz
— James Brydon (@James_Brydon) March 13, 2013
Hendricks also responded to reports of Nick Diaz saying that nobody was interested in a GSP-Hendricks fight.
“(Nick) obviously hasn’t been watching my fights, because I’ve been knocking people out,” Hendricks said.
Hendricks also said that if St-Pierre should beat Diaz and then decide to move up a weight class, he won’t feel like there’s any missed opportunity or a longing to fight the man he believes ducked him — he only has one ultimate goal in mind.
“I want the belt, I don’t care about Georges,” Hendricks said emphatically. “He’s got the belt so I want him … I don’t care about him or anyone else except for the thing they put around their waist. That’s what I’m gunning for.”
On that long road to the title, Hendricks has had to make some potentially tough decisions recently. After knocking out Martin Kampmann in 46 seconds at UFC 154 in Montreal in November, the fight right before St-Pierre last defended his belt against Condit, he became the de facto No. 1 contender.
When there was still talk of a possible super-fight between St-Pierre and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Hendricks said at the post-fight press conference that he would sit out and wait for the welterweight title shot provided he was promised it.
The fact that he took a fight on this card, originally against Jake Ellenberger, while St-Pierre is fighting Diaz suggests there was no promise from the UFC that he would get the next one. Thus Hendricks, who also said it became too complicated with the possible outcomes and scenarios to just hope things fall his way, decided to become pro-active.
“I’ve got to keep my name out in the public eye. That’s how you get more fans, and the more fans you get, the more want to see you fight for the title.”
Then when Rory MacDonald, Condit’s original opponent, was injured, Hendricks was faced with another decision whether to move up the card to face Condit, who is ranked higher than Ellenberger and possibly a tougher — or at least more accomplished — fighter. But Hendricks had no hesitation.
“None at all, because Condit is a tough fighter. He just got done holding the interim, just got done fighting GSP, and that’s still fresh on everyone’s mind. So if I can go out there and do good against Carlos Condit, then like I said there’s nothing in my way.”
Always upbeat and oozing with confidence, he believes he’s just one more step away from finally getting that shot.
“I’ve got to believe in my skills,” Hendricks said. “I’ve knocked out two of the top 5 guys. I don’t have to do anything else.
“I’ve done more than GSP has!”
He harbours no bitterness, but that doesn’t mean he can resist taking a little shot at the champ. After all, it’s as much what fighters say as what they do with their hands that gets them the big opportunities these days, and he knows it.
