UFC
UFC 181: Champ Johny Hendricks says injury layoff this year reignited "desire and drive to keep going"
Nov 28, 2014 - 4:40:14 PM UFC 181: Champ Johny Hendricks says injury layoff this year reignited "desire and drive to keep going"

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"The time off was good. It's been nice to spend time with the family. It's been good to spend time with the wife and kids. It's also been nice to heal the body and mind and get hungry again. Get hungry to get back into the Octagon and get hungry to train again. That desire and drive to keep going are crucial things to have, and time off gave that to me. I kept watching people fight, and I couldn't because I was healing up. But now that I'm able to jump back in there, I'm super excited. You get time to let everything soak in, but you also get time to let it all go away. You know what I mean? You get time to feel proud that you are the welterweight champion, but you also get time to realize it doesn't matter anymore because now I have to retain it. With every fight, as soon as I sign that bout agreement I'm no longer the champ. I'm trying to defend it, and I plan on defending it a bunch of times. But as soon as I sign that bout agreement, you forget about what you have done in the past and start thinking about what you are going to do next. Right now, I'm thinking about defending that title."

-UFC Welterweight Champ Johny Hendricks talks to Duane Finley at BleacherReport.com about his time off due to injury this year and his mindset into a return fight next week at UFC 181 against Robbie Lawler.

Penick's Analysis: You hear a lot of veteran fighters get into this mode, especially once they've climbed their way to the top of the mountain. It's easy to see why, too. When you're fighting and clawing your way from fight to fight to prove yourself as the best, the motivation and goals are clear. When you reach that top spot, the next step is saying, "alright, I've got to hold onto this, and find a way to stay the best." From there, it's "I need to be something this division's never seen." Few get to that last spot, but regardless, the idea is that fighters in Hendricks' position need to find ways to motivate themselves beyond the path to the title, and Hendricks feels he's been able to do that while sidelined this year.