Johny Hendricks’ Bare-Knuckle Boxing Run May Last Longer Than You Think

Johny Hendricks’ bare-knuckle boxing career could be more long term than anticipated.

Hendricks surprised many in the mixed martial arts community when it was announced that he was making his World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation debut on Nov. 9 against Brennan Ward. “Big Rigg” had previously announced his retirement from MMA after going 1-5 in his last six outings.

Hendricks recently appeared on “The MMA Hour.” He told host Luke Thomas that he could be sticking around the sport of bare-knuckle boxing beyond his initial fight:

“Man, you know what? I have a feeling I could do it for a while. My first coach ever in MMA, he was a bare-knuckle world champ in Thailand. … He showed me a lot of techniques, how to strengthen your hand and all of that kind of stuff, how you can actually punish the body and where to hit on the arms, this and this, what to look for. So I’m sort of going back to that stage as well, where to hit on the arms, how to make sure that after the first round — let’s say it goes past the first round — that he can no longer use his right arm because it hurts too bad, or his left arm, because I keep punishing it the way [I want to with] some of the gameplans I have in my head already. Those things can help.”

Hendricks is a former UFC welterweight title holder. He’s picked up wins over the likes of Robbie Lawler, Jon Fitch, Matt Brown, and Martin Kampmann to name a few. He’s also been inside the Octagon with Georges St-Pierre, losing via split decision. Many believed Hendricks should’ve been awarded the victory.

The only place Hendricks should be spending a long time is the buffet line. fighting has passed him by, even something as primitive as bare knuckle boxing.