Worried about Johny Hendricks' weight cut for Friday? Apparently you don't need to

Johny Hendricks

Johny Hendricks returns to work on Saturday for the first time in about 11 months. That’s what the fight resume shows.

Hendricks, lost his welterweight title to Robbie Lawler in December 2014 at UFC 181. He returned three months later on his quest back to championship status and took a decision from Matt Brown.

But in October, everything came tumbling down. Preparing for a co-main event that would likely have been a title eliminator against Tyron Woodley at UFC 182 in Houston, Hendricks’ weight cut went awry. He had to be hospitalized, and the fight was off.

It wasn’t Hendricks’ first issue cutting weight. For his first fight with Lawler at UFC 171 for the title vacated by Georges St-Pierre, Hendricks needed extra time to hit the 170-pound mark. The Oklahoman never was shy about his love of food and was no stranger to weights well north of 210 pounds in between fight camps.

Saturday, Hendricks (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) headlines UFC Fight Night 82 against Stephen Thompson (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who brings a five-fight winning streak into the main event, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The majority of the card airs on FOX Sports 1 after early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

After the disaster that was UFC 182, Hendricks had critics and doubters saying he should head to middleweight. Instead, Hendricks went to work with a new nutritionist, Louis Giordano, and took a new approach to his weight cut.

On Tuesday, Giordano posted a picture of Hendricks online, saying the former champ was 173.5 pounds – still four days out from the fight and three days out from stepping on the scale in Las Vegas, needing to be 171 pounds or less.

“Our weight has been and will continue to be MANAGED!!!!” Giordano wrote with the posting.

Hendricks is more than a 2-1 favorite against Thompson. There has been no official word from the UFC about where the winner will find himself in the welterweight title picture. The belt still is held by Lawler after a “Fight of the Year” candidate decision over Carlos Condit a month ago. And Woodley is waiting in the wings – and hasn’t fought in a year thanks to missing out on the Hendricks fight.

But if there are concerns about Hendricks’ weight cut this time, they may be misguided.

For more on UFC Fight Night 82, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.