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BENT: UFC 101 Previews and Predictions - Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Aug 7, 2009 - 9:16:54 AM BENT: UFC 101 Previews and Predictions - Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

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The third fight of the main televised portion of the UFC 101 card is a bout between 'The Ultimate Fighter 7' winner Amir Sadollah and former NCAA Division I wrestling champion Johny Hendricks. The only real significance of this fight which grants it such high placement on the card is that Sadollah has endeared himself to fans by virtue of his personality, and this will be his first appearance inside of the UFC Octagon since winning the show. Amir is an engaging personality for sure and at least proved capable enough in besting C.B. Dollaway to have won the seventh season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' but he is certainly being put to a real test in his bout on Saturday at UFC 101.

Amir Sadollah will be turning 29 in a few weeks and for his birthday present he will be getting to finally step inside of the Octagon for the first time since winning the competition. Sadollah was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Richmond, VA and is of Iranian descent. He became interested in the sport as a way of getting in shape but was soon drawn deeper into the sport as he saw a parallel between the precision of physicians and fighters while he was working as a surgical technologist.

Sadollah posted a 4-0 amateur record and was one of the final 52 candidates for the IFL draft out of a pool of over 250 in Chicago in October of 2007. He would go on to try out for 'The Ultimate Fighter' and impressed producers with his personality and Dana White with his raw ability, and with it earned the opportunity to try his hand in Las Vegas and attempt to make it into the house and onto the show. Sadollah would do just that, and not only made it into the house but without any professional experience to speak of came away with the grand prize after having won the entire competition.

After defeating Dollaway for the second time at the finale, it seemed as if the future would be bright for the affable young fighter and his first true UFC bout was scheduled for UFC 91 against Nick Catone. Due to a leg infection, this fight was scratched and rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 17 but again Sadollah was forced to withdraw but this time due to a broken clavicle.

Amir Sadollah's career MMA record stands at 1-0 with that lone victory being his submission win over C.B. Dollaway at the 'TUF 7' finale. Since winning this bout, Sadollah has remained active at least in front of the camera by hosting 'Inside the Octagon' which aired during episodes of the ninth season of 'The Ultimate Fighter'. Sadollah will have already cleared a hurdle by finally making it to the Octagon for his fight on Saturday night and it would be a definite boost to his career and help to legitimize him if he can indeed pull off the victory over Hendricks.

Johny Hendricks is a 25 yr. old UFC welterweight prospect who formerly fought for the WEC before the decision was made to disolve all of the heavuwer weight classes. Hendricks was a highly decorated amateur wrestler having won the NCAA Division I championship at 165 lbs. in both 2005 and 2006 and the Big 12 Conference Championship on three occasions. Hendricks was a four time All-American during his tenure at Oklahoma State University and along with several of his teammates, would make the decision to sign with Team TakeDown and relocate to Las Vegas in hopes of giving it a go in the world of mixed martial arts.

Hendricks made his professional debut on September 28, 2007 and was notched a 3rdround TKO victory over Victor Ratcliff at Masters of the Cage 16. He would go on to win two more bouts before getting the opportunity to try his hand in the WEC and was set to make waves there before there was no longer an opportunity for a welterweight in the promotion.

Johny Hendricks boasts a career record of 5 wins against no defeats and 3 of his wins have come by way of KO in his short career. His most recent victory came at the expense of Alex Serdyukov at WEC 39 when he was awarded the unanimous decision but both of their efforts were honored when it was deemed 'Fight of the Night'.

Hendricks is getting the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to the decision by Zuffa to eliminate the heavier weight classes in the UFC and is getting the chance to fight on a main card in his debut against a name opponent in Sadollah. Hendricks is the more experienced fighter and arguably the more skilled one as well but it is Sadollah who has the cachet of having won 'The Ultimate Fighter' who enters this bout as the star. By virtue of Sadollah's win, this bout gets placed rather highly on the UFC 101 card but hopefully once this fight is over, the two of them will have given us efforts worthy of having been placed in this spot and do not make us regret having been forced to watch it.

Bent's Prediction: Johny Hendricks by 2nd Round TKO

This fight truly does not belong on PPV and isn't even special enough to merit a spot on the main card of a 'UFC Fight Night'. Amir Sadollah is not the real deal whatsoever and I say this while also admitting that I think he is one hell of a nice guy. Sadollah works well hosting a show called "Inside the Octagon" but it is my opinion that he does not belong inside of one and fighting for the UFC. He earned the opportunity by way of winning the program and beating Dollaway but he could wind up being the first winner to receive his walking papers unless Kendall Grove beats him to it.

Hendricks will take Sadollah down and so long as he can muster up some semblance of submission defense, it should be his fight from there on and wind up to be a punishing ground and pound exhibition which forces the referee to call it off. Sadollah is being fed to the wolves and will be the first winner of 'The Ultimate Fighter' to get his ass kicked in his very first bout following his winning of the show and in this respect it is the worst possible match up for him.

Nick Catone is solid on the ground and a fairly tough customer who could have given Sadollah fits but after Saturday night in Philadelphia, it will be Amir wishing he could have had the luxury of facing Catone at UFC 91 and not having to stand across from Hendricks at UFC 101. Johny Hendricks is raw but he is ultimately the best prospect from Team TakeDown and looks to be ready for this game much more than Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller were. This is good for the fans as another solid hand at 170 is not a bad thing but it is a miserable thing for Sadollah as this execution will be broadcast live and in HD on the undercard of UFC 101.