Struggling former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks will again look for a way back in the win column, this time at New York City’s storied Madison Square Garden. As first reported by Combate, Hendricks will meet Brazilian Paulo Borrachinha at UFC 217 this fall.
Hendricks (18–7) is just 2-5 in his last seven fights dating back to 2014, starting with the loss of his welterweight championship in a rematch with Robbie Lawler. During that span, he has losses to Stephen Thompson, Kelvin Gastelum, Neil Magny, and Tim Boetsch in addition to Lawler, with wins coming against Matt Brown and Hector Lombard. The Lombard fight marked his debut at middleweight, and seemed to turn things around for “Big Rigg.” However, following a theme in recent years, Hendricks missed weight for the Boetsch fight at UFC Fight Night 112 in June, and was finished in the second round.
For the undefeated Paulo Borrachinha (10–0), the fight marks a bout with a former champ, but perhaps not the one he was looking for. The Brazilian had been campaigning for a bout with countryman Vitor Belfort, but it seems Belfort is circling a fight with Sam Alvey instead. He’ll have to settle for Hendricks as he looks to crack the top fifteen of the division. Neither fighter is ranked under the UFC’s official rankings.
UFC 217 takes place November 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.
