(This story first appeared in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) With Georges St-Pierre on hiatus from MMA, Johny Hendricks aims to bring stability to the UFC’s welterweight division. “I saw a lot of people saying that the welterweight class is undetermined the next year because there’s so many great fighters,” Hendricks, 30, told USA TODAY Sports. “Hopefully, I can stop that.” First, Hendricks (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) needs to win the belt, and following St-Pierre’s decision to step away to resolve personal issues, the former wrestling champ will get another shot when he meets Robbie Lawler (22-9 MMA, 7-3 UFC) this spring for the vacant 170-pound title. Nearly one month after falling short to St-Pierre at UFC 167 by controversial split decision, Hendricks was on vacation at Walt Disney World when he got the call to headline the UFC 171 pay-per-view show on March 15 in Dallas. Lawler, a former EliteXC champ, is on a three-fight winning streak since returning to the UFC after a hiatus of more than eight years.
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Johny Hendricks: Championship quest was always about UFC title, not GSP – MMA Junkie