UFC 158′s Jake Ellenberger: Hendricks Wanted Less Dangerous Fight

Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger

Ellenberger: Hendricks Took Easy Way Out

Welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger is obviously disappointed that he will not get a shot to knock off the no. 2 fighter in this division at UFC 158 next month.

It's easy to see that he had a hard time understanding why Johny Hendricks asked to replace Rory MacDonald to fight Carlos Condit at this event simply because of the way Hendricks specifically acknowledged how tough of a test Ellenberger would be to his style. Hendricks even went on to say that Ellenberger would be a more dangerous opponent for him than champion Georges St. Pierre.

Ellenberger has concluded that this previous statement is the exact reason for Hendricks' eagerness to abandon their fight. "The Juggernaut" spoke to Bleacher Report (via MMAmania) about how he is now under the impression that Hendricks chose to fight Condit instead of himself because Condit's technique poses less of a threat to Hendricks' win streak and opportunity for a title shot.

"I know how the game works and I know how he's trying to position the way people are looking at the scenario. He didn't want to fight me and that's a fact. So however he wants to word it, Carlos is a great fighter, one of the best in the division, I don't disagree there, but I would still say and he would probably say the same thing that it's a less dangerous fight. Is Carlos going to knock him out? I don't think so."

Jake also took to Twitter to show that he already had a feeling Hendricks would look for a way to avoid stepping into the octagon with him.

I knew you'd find a way out @johnyhendricks

— Jake Ellenberger (@EllenbergerMMA) February 19, 2013

To be fair, it's safe to say that Ellenberger might not have put himself on such a pedestal had Hendricks not told the world that he was such an incredibly difficult fighter to deal with. The only thing that makes Ellenberger more "dangerous" than Condit is his KO/TKO record, which is hard to rival at 170 lbs.

But winning is winning in the UFC, and the fact is, Condit has beaten more high profile fighters (including Ellenberger) than most other current welterweights, regardless of how he did it. While Condit may not look for an early finish, he has just as much (if not more) of a shot at ending Hendricks' win streak as any dominant fighter.

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