UFC 101 Preview: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

 

Amir Sadollah (1-0, 1-0 UFC)  vs.  Johny Hendricks (5-0, 0-0 UFC)

The Story So Far: Isn't that Amir guy a fighter?

TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah's first bout in over a year - and only the second of his professional career - comes against undefeated former WEC welterweight, Johny Hendricks. 

Sadollah, who trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas with his friend and former TUF coach, Forrest Griffin, last competed on June 21, 2008 - picking up his second straight armbar victory over C.B. Dolloway.  After competing as a Middleweight on TUF 7, this will be Sadollah's first fight in the Welterweight division. 

A former 2005 and 2006 NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion at 165-pounds, Johny Hendricks is coming off of a Unanimous Decision victory over Alex Serdyukov in a performance that earned them both Fight-of-the-Night honors back at WEC 39 in March.   

Hendricks will look to make a splash in the division by beating the charismatic Sadollah, who may have to work through some ring rust in the early-goings.

UFC 101: Declaration coverage

Conventional Wisdom

The consensus belief is that Hendricks is a middle of the road welterweight who should test the still green Sadollah. Now how difficult the test will be is another question and depends upon how much use Sadollah put to his off time.  

WKR Analysis

After an impressive run through the seventh season of TUF, Amir Sadollah has twice had to withdraw from bouts (UFC 91 in Nov. and UFN 17 in Feb.) due to injury. In over a year, the only action Sadollah has seen inside the Octagon has literally been Inside the Octagon, as he's served as host of the Spike TV program since its 2008 premiere.

While Sadollah's submission prowess and top-notch training camp should be enough to carry him to victory on Saturday, don't sleep on his opponent. Hendricks has some serious wrestling credentials and has shown significant improvement in his striking game with each successive fight.

There are also some questions as to how Sadollah will handle his first cut down to 170.

Fun Fact

In addition to being a two-time National Champion, Johny Hendricks was also a 4-time All-American and three-time Big 12 Conference champion while competing for Oklahoma State University.

UFC 101: Declaration coverage