Johny Hendricks Was Hospitalized By A Botched Weight Cut And Removed From UFC 192 Card

The UFC’s big pay-per-view event this weekend just got a little smaller. UFC 192 is being headlined by Alexander Gustafsson challenging Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title — an interesting fight, in that it establishes who Jon Jones will fight when he returns from suspension. But the co-main event, originally featuring former welterweight champ Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley, just got scrapped, per UFC president Dana White’s Twitter:

According to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, the Hendricks weight-cut went so bad, the fighter got a blockage in his intestine and suffered through a kidney stone. He was taken to the hospital where an IV was administered.

Hendricks has been struggling to make the 171-pound welterweight limit for a while now. When he was champion of the division, it took him two attempts to make weight for his first fight against Robbie Lawler — a fight he almost lost due to fatigue. An immediate rematch was granted to Lawler and again Hendricks struggled to make weight. He lost that fight and his belt, and later said the cut was so bad, it made him consider retirement.

A move up to middleweight was also considered, but instead Hendricks stayed at welterweight and won his next fight against Matt Brown in March this year. But considering his numerous past issues and the repercussions for his health and the UFC’s bottom line, he may no longer have a choice. The UFC has forced fighters to move up in weight before — John Lineker was told he’d “never fight at flyweight again” after missing weight three times, and the UFC fired Anthony Johnson after he came in 11 pounds above the middleweight limit.

Johny Hendricks probably doesn’t have to worry about getting released, but botched weight cuts like this don’t make the UFC happy. If “Big Rig” had planned his cut properly and stuck to the correct diet, there wouldn’t have been an issue. Add in his history of blowing up to 215+ pounds between fights, and it’s hard to feel sympathy for the guy, even as he sits in the hospital with a blocked intestine and kidney stones. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake he finally takes the hint and moves up to 185 pounds.

(Via MMA Fighting)