In upcoming UFC: 171, the welterweight title is up for grabs.
This comes after some months after the controversial fight between Johny Hendricks and Georges St. Pierre. After the fight, GSP announced his indefinite leave from the UFC and vacated the title. This has given the title shot to both Robbie Lawler and Hendricks who will do battle in UFC 171. These two are some of the hardest hitters in all of MMA and only one of them will be crowned the new Welterweight champion. There hasn’t been a new Welterweight champion in 7 years due to GSP’s dominance in the Welterweight division. This is also an upcoming championship event that will not likely end with the judge’s decision like in the previous Welterweight championship fight. The two fighters have proven they both have the technique and power to end a fight.
Whether or not you believe Hendricks should have been crowned the Welterweight champion in his previous fight with GSP, he won’t have an easy time with Lawler. In his most recent fights, Lawler has gone on to a 3-0 record in the UFC. He has won by knockout against Josh Koscheck and Bobby Voelker then by unanimous decision against Rory MacDonald. Hendricks is coming off a ”loss” but as we’ve seen him fight, he will be coming at Lawler with the will to get that title. After the fight with GSP, Hendricks has said that he doesn’t care who he has to fight and just wants to get the title. We will see how determined Hendricks is to earn the Welterweight title.
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In upcoming UFC: 173 there has been some changes in the main event fight.
Originally the main event was going to be Middleweight champion Chris Weidman against Vitor Belfort. This was a main event many people wanted to see happen and indeed was going to happen until a historic announcement was made. The Nevada State Athletic Commission decided to ban testosterone replacement therapy or TRT. The announcement also called for the removal of any previously exemptions made for athletes on the treatment. Following this announcement, UFC made a huge change to the upcoming fight card in May. The main event is now Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida.
Vitor Belfort had initially planned on applying for an exemption but since the commission has outright banned TRT, that is no longer an option. Because of this, Belfort was removed from the event. This doesn’t mean that Belfort won’t have a shot at the title again because he is going to allow himself to come off his TRT treatments in order to prepare for a chance at a later date. Belfort has claimed that he will no longer be on TRT and will fight in MMA without it in a statement following the ban. Due to the time constraints he wouldn’t have enough time to apply for a license to fight and prepare to fight Weidman.
Lyoto Machida now has a shot at the Middleweight Championship. He is coming off two fights after having dropped down into the Middleweight division. Machida has had a unanimous decision against former Strikeforce Champion Gerard Mousasi as well as knocking out Mark Munoz. He just happens to also be a good friend and training partner of Anderson Silva, former legendary Middleweight Champion.
Chris Weidman has been very supportive of the changes with the athletic commission and is well aware of the threat his new opponent poses. The middleweight champion is coming off two wins and is undefeated. He is looking to be able to defend his title against Lyoto Machida in UFC 173 coming in May.
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