Johny Hendricks has failed to make weight for his welterweight fight against Neil Magny at UFC 207.
It means that Hendricks, who weighed in at 173.5 pounds (two and a half pounds over the allowed limit), will have to forfeit 20 percent of his earnings for the fight to Magny. Hendricks looked extremely tense as he took to the scales and devastated when he realised that he hadn't made the weight.
The former welterweight champion had tried to put on a confident face the day before, telling reporters that he would make the weight without any trouble:
I am so close (to 170 pounds), you can’t even imagine. That’s how close I am, I am right there. Yeah, my mouth's dry, yeah I’ve been cutting weight. I cut a lot of weight. I look good. I’m going to make weight tomorrow.
But this setback isn't the first time Hendricks has had problems involving making weight. Last year he was rushed to hospital ahead of UFC 192 because of reported intestinal blockage and kidney stones, resulting in him missing his fight against Tyron Woodley, now the welterweight champion. He also failed to make weight for his loss against Kelvin Gastelum this summer.
And it appears that his efforts to make weight had him in fairly unhealthy shape in the lead-up to the weigh-in.
He sounded delirious yesterday speaking to the media. Like someone who has wandered the desert for days without water. https://t.co/4SZEqRY4Ry
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) December 29, 2016
According to Ariel Helwani, Hendrick's team were sounding confident right up until the weigh-in.
Just saw a member of Hendricks' team, who told me Hendricks has "a pound to go." Seemed very confident there would be no issues this AM.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 29, 2016
Here is the moment when Henricks failed to make the weight:
Hendricks has in the lead-up to UFC 207 floated the notion of retiring and it's unclear what the future will hold for him after this latest disappointment. It's been suggested that he should move up to the 185 pounds weight category. Either way, he'll need a win at 207 after three losses in his last four fights.
