Former Champion Who Nearly Beat GSP Barely Watches UFC Anymore

Johny Hendricks explains why he doesn't watch much UFC nowadays: "I stay away from it as much as I can..."

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Retirements hardly ever stick in MMA but it did for one Johny Hendricks.

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The former UFC Welterweight Champion announced his MMA retirement back in 2018, whenever he was 34 years old, coming off back-to-back losses to Tim Boetsch and former title challenger Paulo Costa. Taking off the gloves, Hendricks (18-8) would fight one final time in bare-knuckle boxing, where he lost by TKO later that year.

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Hendricks Reflects On Retirement Six Years Later

Looking back at an illustrious career that saw "Big Rig" defeat top welterweights such as Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit and nearly dethrone then-champ Georges St-Pierre in 2013, the 41 year-old Hendricks admits he still very much misses being a part of the fight game a decade removed from his prime.

"I miss the competing part. I miss the unknown," Hendricks said on MMA Junkie Radio. "I do miss that. I love the competition. Each second you had to adapt, each moment, you had to be aware of the dangers and the possibilities of you succeeding or failing, right? That's what I always enjoyed.

"I also know that once it became a job, I knew I was gonna retire and I sort of hit that point.
But now, there's times that I do miss it."

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Hendricks Doesn't Keep Score On MMA Anymore

When asked about his current relationship with fighting, Hendricks says he watches the UFC "here and there" all these years later. However, it's not a common occurrence for Hendricks, acknowledging the action he sees on TV could potentially draw him back into the fold for one more fight.

"It's stuff like that I still enjoy, like figuring out how they're gonna win. But for the most part, I stay away from it as much as I can," Hendricks revealed. "It doesn't mean that I would like to watch it more, but I know that it would make me wanna come back."

Following his MMA retirement in 2018, Johny Hendricks went back to the wrestling room as a coach, later becoming a police officer in the state of Texas.

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