Thoughts & Shots From UFC Fight Night ‘Hendricks vs. Thompson’

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

Stephen Thompson had his coming-out party at UFC 195.5 -- excuse me, UFC Fight Night 82 -- on Saturday in Las Vegas. The karate specialist showed some added depth to his skill set on his way to a demolition of former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. It all took just 3:31, and now “Wonderboy” wants a crack at current titleholder Robbie Lawler.

I understand why Thompson thinks he should be next in line, but I’d imagine he’s still a ways down the list at this point. Should the best 170-pounder the sport has ever seen decide he wants to come back, he would jump to the front of the line. I’m hearing that’s less likely than some are letting on, so I’d guess Tyron Woodley would probably have a little more of a claim to the shot than Thompson.

Honestly, I don’t think anyone is going to pull the trigger on a decision about who gets the unenviable task of fighting Lawler until after Conor McGregor dances with Rafael dos Anjos on March 5. He’s the wild card in the equation. If he wins and calls out “Ruthless,” I think the promotion would be insane not to make that fight.

I haven’t even mentioned the potential for a Carlos Condit rematch. I still think that’s more likely than a Thompson title shot. I think he’s one more fight away from being a true contender. Tell me: Wouldn’t you like to see “Wonderboy” fight another top-five guy in a title eliminator? Yeah, me too.

My current potential batting order for a crack at Lawler’s welterweight strap would be as follows:

1. Georges St. Pierre (Not Likely)
2. McGregor (Must Beat Dos Anjos)
3. Woodley (Most Likely)
4. Condit (Who Knows?)
5. Thompson (One Win Away)

I’ll keep it real. I didn’t give Thompson much of a chance against Hendricks’ wrestling. He opened my eyes, and I’m sure there are quite a few others who are pleasantly surprised he got the job done in the manner he did. The South Carolina native has a really exciting style and is a genuinely good guy who is easy to root for. He’s an asset to the sport, and I was happy to see him succeed.

Hendricks now finds himself in a tough spot after winding up on the wrong end of a one-sided beatdown. He may have put his weight issues behind him, but the massive changes he had in his camp leading up to this fight have to have him questioning himself, at least a little bit. I also wonder what kind of affect his 10 rounds with Lawler had on him and his body. You can argue he won both of those fights, but he took a ton of damage along the way. Look at the shape Rory McDonald is in after his bout with Lawler; he’s still not ready to return seven months later.

Fighting at the top end of the welterweight division may not lend itself to longevity the way things have gone lately. The champ himself has taken a couple of extended recesses after his last two bouts to try to heal up a bit after sustaining serious damage in his title defenses. There is some major attrition going down in the division that may lead to some new blood circulating to the top of the weight class.

Hard Sell

Let me first preface this by saying I get it. I get why there was a ton of promotion for the Mickey Gall-Mike Jackson bout, and I understand the Ultimate Fighting Championship pumping up the Gall-Phil Brooks fight. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Let’s be honest. Gall looked great, but he’s a 2-0 prospect whose opponents are a combined 0-2. That’s right, he hasn’t fought anyone with a win, much less a win in the UFC. Jackson, who has done work for Sherdog.com in the past, got his shot in the UFC with a 0-0 record. That should tell you all you need to know about the dynamic at play.

Hearing Gall being compared to Donald Cerrone and other elite MMA fighters after he beat up a member of the MMA media was more than I could bear. It doesn’t mean he won’t get there someday, but let’s not place any unreal expectations on him or “CM Punk” before we have a real idea of what they truly bring to the table.

I also found it pretty enlightening to see Brooks’ reaction to the fight. I don’t know about you, but I think he may have been rattled a bit. This has to be a nerve-racking experience for the professional wrestler turned MMA fighter. I know he’s tough as nails -- you don’t do what he did in World Wrestling Entertainment for that long without being a hard man -- but there’s something different about people who compete in combat sports at the highest level. Add in the intense spotlight he knows he’ll be under and the fact that he has never competed at any level in anything close to MMA, and one can understand why he might be feeling some nerves.

This is getting more real by the day, and he’ll be making his walk to the Octagon in the next few months. Everyone who makes that trek for the first time will tell you it’s one of the most terrifying, exciting and intimidating occurrences all rolled into one that they have ever experienced. Octagon jitters are real, and while he’s been under the big lights plenty of times, “CM Punk” has never had someone waiting for him with the expressed intention of removing him from consciousness.

I’m excited to see how he does, but I think people need to understand what’s really happening. This fight will pit a prospect that should still be making his way through the regional circuit against a guy with a humongous public profile but zero fighting experience -- nothing more, nothing less.

Sherdog.com Executive Editor Greg Savage can be reached by email or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.