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Wonderboy KOs Ex-Champ Hendricks in 1st Rd; Is Title Shot Next? (Video)

Wonderboy UFc Fight Night KO

The welterweight division if officially the most violent weight class in the UFC. If you didn’t think so before, this Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson KO should prove it.

Wonderboy was flawless from the onset of the fight. Smoothly changing stance between southpaw and orthodox, slipping inside Hendricks open-armed stance at will and counter punching when Johny swung wildly with his head down. It was apparent that Thompson wasn’t in the octagon to brawl but Hendricks had no other game plan.

Hendricks nearly landed a takedown a minute into the fight but Thompson used the cage to leverage himself and remain upright long enough to escape. From that point on Thompson dominated the fight with his length and range.

Wonderboy’s kick are what ultimately did Hendricks in. The wide-legged kickboxing stance proved too difficult for Hendricks to manage and the quick level changes in Thompson’s kicks were enough to confuse the former champ. Once Hendrick’s guard diminished Thompson peppered him with combinations and finished him off with a spinning back kick-straight left combo.

This is impressive considering Hendricks was a champion two years ago and had never been knocked out before. If there was one thing Hendricks had always had, it was a chin, and Wonderboy made him look like a glass jawed fighter.

This now makes the UFC’s toughest division even more complicated.

Champion Robbie Lawler has had 3 straight title wars, all fight of the year candidates, and is looking at facing another regardless of opponent. Thompson’s win over the #2 ranked fighter in the division could be enough to warrant a title shot but it’s unlikely. Tyron Woodley is sitting back waiting for a title shot that was promised after Hendricks didn’t make weight for their scheduled fight but he’s been inactive for a while and doesn’t have any impressive wins in the past 5 years to warrant a shot at the belt.

He’d be a perfect opponent for Thompson to fight next. All signs would then point at a Lawler-Condit rematch for the welterweight title but there’s always the looming figure of GSP. Georges would receive an immediate title shot it he decided to return to the UFC this year, which would put the rest of the division on hold.

Add a recently impressive Demian Maia to the highly anticipated return of Rory MacDonald and you have the toughest title picture in combat sports.

The title fights will work themselves out in 2016 and the beneficiaries of that process will be the UFC fans.

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