Champion and challenger reveal all
Thursday 4 December 2014 19:51, UK
Johny Hendricks and Gilbert Melendez will defend and challenge for two world championships as UFC 181 rolls into Las Vegas - and both fighters have told Sky Sports about the mentality needed to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
From the hours in the gym, the sacrifices at home and the gruelling contests themselves, it is not the glory that drives Hendricks and Melendez, but something deeper within them.
Click here for Sky Bet's odds for Hendricks and Melendez's fights.
The welterweight champion rematches Robbie Lawler, who he beat in March for the title in a closely-scored, classic encounter.
Being champion doesn’t change anything because as soon as I sign that bout agreement, I have to win it all over again. I’m a challenger again and that’s what I want to feel like.
Hendricks said: I don’t take confidence from being the champion because it’s all in the past. I need to work for something new. When you think ‘I am something’ it can hurt you. I’ve been that way before and it hurt me.
Being champion doesn’t change anything because as soon as I sign that bout agreement, I have to win it all over again. I’m a challenger again and that’s what I want to feel like. When we’re in there, I don’t have a belt and he doesn’t have a belt. I have to make sure that I win the right to take it home.
Don’t get me wrong, I am the champion, but we’ll be competing for the exact same thing so it doesn’t matter what either of us have done in the past. I have to re-earn it.
Last time, I had to fight Robbie to his strengths, because of my injury, on the feet. I couldn’t take him down. When he realised I couldn’t take him down, he came out for the third round totally differently. He wasn’t worried about it anymore. This time, he’ll come out strongly immediately but I can take him down – even though I don’t want to – but I have the threat which makes me dangerous. That’s what makes the top fighters so good, having that threat of wrestling.
Before the fifth round, I knew it was 2-2. I saw my wife with her head between her knees, that reminds me why I do this. I do it for my family.
I was blessed with a strong mind and a strong will, that was bred into me. I have a mentality that no matter what happens, injured or not, you find a way to win. While you can learn some of that, you’re blessed with it.
A latecomer to the UFC, he challenges for Anthony Pettis' lightweight title years after believing he should have worn the belt.
When BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez fought for the title I knew I was ready for it all. I could have been the champion a long time ago. I’m bitter about that.
Melendez said: It’s so important for my career. This could be my last shot at a title, if I don’t get it this time it won’t come around again for a few years and would take a lot of work. My career has been good but if I get this title it would be complete. I’ve done some big things but I’m missing this title.
I watched guys like Roger Huerta, Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar fighting for this title and I knew at the time I could beat them all. When BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez fought for the title I knew I was ready for it all. I could have been the champion a long time ago. I’m bitter about that.
I’ve seen the sport evolve. I’m fighting a guy that has run off the cage and kicked someone, if my coach told me that would happen when I was a kid I would have said ‘it won’t happen’. It’s a new era so it’s important for me to remain a student and not fall behind. I’m an old-school guy fighting through this transition, I fought when nobody knew what this sport was. Unfortunately, I’m in the third quarter of my career. I’m older than I used to be, but I’m in my prime.
I hate the training and the sacrifice but I love the high that I get when my hand is raised and the rush when I step in the Octagon. I’m fighting for a championship but we also fight for a living. We don’t get millions of dollars for this. I need to make as much as I can while I can still fight. I fight because I have to.
Click here for Alex Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson's thoughts on their record-breaking Sweden fight.
