Lawler trilogy on hold…Johny Hendricks faces Matt Brown @ UFC®185
source | MMAFighting.com
The UFC announced on Tuesday that rather than getting a chance to reclaim his lost title, Hendricks will instead be slotted against welterweight contender Matt Brown on March 14 at UFC 185 in Dallas, TX.
Hendricks (16-3) was initially thought to be next for Lawler after the two fought to a close and contentious split decision in their Dec. 2014 meeting. That fight followed the pair’s legendary March 2014 contest, which earned honors as MMAFighting.com’s ‘Fight of the Year.’
But plans changed, and according to Hendricks’ manager Ted Ehrhardt, the former UFC welterweight champion accepted the fight against Brown “just to keep busy.”
“We didn’t want to wait around,” Ehrhardt told MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani. “Lawler didn’t want to fight until the summer, but we wanted to keep fighting.
“Title shot or not, no one wants to sit around another six or seven more months.”