Johny Hendricks Un-Retires For Bare Knuckle Boxing Debut

Former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks is retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition.

“Bigg Rigg” last competed at UFC 217 last year when he was finished by young 185-pound prospect Paulo Costa. Due to issues with weight cutting and grievances with the way MMA fights are being judged, Hendricks decided it was time to walk away from the sport.

Although he’s no longer fighting for the UFC, that doesn’t mean he’s done fighting altogether. Hendricks is reportedly set to compete at an upcoming bare knuckle boxing event. FightBookMMA reports that Hendricks will be fighting former Bellator star Brennan Ward.

The fight takes place at World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF) on November 9th in Casper, Wyoming. The pay-per-view (PPV) also features a fight between Chris Leben and Phil Baroni.

Hendricks, 35, is a former 170-pound champion in the UFC. At the end of his MMA career, he was only able to win one of his six last fights. Perhaps the knockout artist’s winning ways will return come November.