Issue 155

June 2017

UFC 141: Johny Hendricks KO1 Jon Fitch.

A single strike was all it took to flatten the world’s number-two welterweight.

Jon Fitch was the ultimate grinder. It was almost impossible for welterweights to stop him from grabbing them, putting them on their backs and punching them for 15 minutes. Only Georges St-Pierre had prevented that and beaten him in his 23 previous fights. He wanted that rematch badly and a win against Johny Hendricks to end 2011 would put him in line for that opportunity.

He hadn’t counted on ‘Bigg Rigg’ having the perfect antidote to his stifling fighting style: the awesome power to stop him in his tracks after just 12 seconds. The future 170lb champion smashed him with one of the most devastating punches ever thrown in the Octagon and punched his ticket to the UFC big league.

Action plan

Hendricks did have a plan to fight Fitch for 15 minutes, but he wanted to give his power punch a chance to shine first. “The good lord blessed me with a left hand and I was going to put it on him,” he said. “I told my camp, ‘I’m going to hit him as hard as I can and see where he falls.’”

Step 1

No feeling out process needed for this one. Hendricks tucks his chin and launches an unstoppable punch that swings directly onto Fitch’s jaw. The former title challenger topples backward, unconscious.

Step 2

‘Bigg Rigg’ rushes in and lands one more massive strike before Steve Mazzagatti dives in to save him. The punch actually wakes Fitch up, who shows the stoppage is justified as he attempts to wrestle the referee.