UFC 192 is quietly approaching, and while the show isn’t receiving the same level of coverage as some other major events have, there are a number of important fights slated for the card. One of those fights features two men who could be next in line to challenge for the UFC welterweight title, Johny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley. This is a bout with massive implications, but at the same time it is a fight that the fans may not be too interested in, regardless of the outcome.
Hendricks and Woodley are two men that have been forgotten in a way when it comes to conversations surrounding the 170-pound weight class. They are both ranked in the top 5 at welterweight, but unfortunately it is possible that the winner of this bout will have to take the long road to get a shot at the coveted title. So what exactly keeps these fighters out of title talks? There are different reasons for each.
We are less than one year removed from the time Hendricks carried the belt into his UFC 181 title defense against Robbie Lawler. His split decision loss to the current champion was a controversial one, but a loss that became “accepted” due to the excitement that Lawler has generated as champion since then. Hendricks should have received an immediate rematch; however, he instead was booked to face Matt Brown at UFC 185. Even after defeating Brown, the former champion was paired with Woodley, as Carlos Condit moved into the #1 contender position.
On the other side of the cage will stand Woodley, a fighter with two vastly different sides. On one hand, he can knock an opponent into next year with his devastating power. All five of his knockouts were very violent, highlight-reel material. Yet the other side is the fact that he can be a wrestle-first fighter that really slows bouts down. Even worse, there are times in which he looks apprehensive to pull the trigger on his striking.This allows his opponents to remain more active than they should. This side of Woodley puts him in the position to create a less than exciting fight that fans will not enjoy.
So what happens when two fighters that are wrestlers at heart are put into the cage? If their wrestling cancels each other out, it either leads to a stalemate or both men forced to rely on their striking. Both men have stopped many opponents in the past, so this type of fight can end suddenly and violently. However, the other side of the coin is the idea that these men could be locked in a grappling fest that sees one or the other pressed against the cage for long durations of time.
Woodley and Hendricks both need a violent win in order to truly be considered the next challenger for the winner of Lawler vs. Condit. If they put on a “boring” affair that earns the ire of UFC President Dana White, both men could find themselves taking a back seat to a surging fighter in the division, or the returning Hector Lombard. It’s clear that the UFC consistently puts entertainment value before effectiveness when it comes to its fighters. Woodley and Hendricks teeter towards either side, but leaning too much towards effectiveness, to the detriment of being exciting, can push them outside of the immediate title picture.
Tyron Woodley and Johny Hendricks may believe they are fighting for a shot at the UFC Welterweight Champion. A victory goes a long way towards making the winner the next contender on deck. However, both men have to be cognizant of the fact that the more exciting their battle, the better those chances are. Both Woodley and Hendricks have the potential to wow fans, but they could easily put on a less than stellar showing. The winner of this fight needs to win and win big to keep his name on the tongues of the people that matter when it comes to UFC matchmaking.
UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson takes place on October 3, 2015 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 192 will be.
