Mike Dolce: Johny Hendricks split 'mutual,' based on 'positive changes' by ex-champ

Mike Dolce

Johny Hendricks’ loss to Robbie Lawler was a definite setback in his decorated career.

But the way Mike Dolce sees it, the title-losing performance was also a much-needed wakeup call – one he hopes will put the Hendricks (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), a former  welterweight champ, back on track for his fight with Matt Brown (19-12 MMA, 12-7 UFC) this weekend at UFC 185.

“Everything that led up to that last fight was a come-to-Jesus moment for Johny, and I think it will definitely make him a better fighter and a better athlete,” Dolce today told MMAjunkie Radio.

Hendricks returns to the octagon for the first time since a split-call loss to Lawler this past December at UFC 181. When he steps on the scale one day before his pay-per-view main-card bout on Saturday at Dallas’ American Airlines Center, he will do so without Dolce, who helped the ex-champ through his notoriously challenging weight cuts in the 170-pound division.

The nutrition guru told MMAjunkie Radio that the split was “mutual, to a degree” and based on his own busy schedule along with positive changes made by Hendricks and his camp. He said MMA websites that played up the split were “looking for a nasty headline.”

“I’m still a supporter of Johny, and because I’m not with him this time doesn’t mean I’m not with him in heart, and I’m sure I’ll be with him on many fight weeks in the future,” Dolce said.

After losing the UFC title in his rematch with Lawler, Hendricks spoke openly about his struggles leading up to the fight, among them a massive weight cut that drained him of energy in the championship rounds.

Dolce concurred, saying that when Hendricks and Lawler agreed to replace Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort as UFC 181 headliners, the drop to the 170-pound mark on three months’ notice was “extremely difficult.”

“The weight was so high because (Hendricks) got so big in the offseason, and they were in crisis mode as soon as they accepted the fight,” Dolce said. “I felt that I couldn’t leave him, and it truly took every last ounce of my skill and that of the team around him to get Johny on weight.

“It was a dreadful weight cut.”

Hendricks afterward promised to redouble his efforts with Dolce after reportedly starting his cut at 20 percent body fat. Yet recently, the champ said the two had parted ways.

“Before the last fight, I was considering not staying, just because my schedule was very busy and I had a wife that’s very pregnant,” said Dolce, who recently welcomed a daughter into his life. “We built the template for what he should be doing. The problem was, he just hadn’t committed to it in the offseason, which led to really drastic weight cuts.

“Johny has addressed that, and it just shows you what a class act and what a professional he is to have addressed that publicly. He’s really dialed it in, and there wasn’t a need for me, considering what he had around him; he has five full-time coaches in Dallas, his wife and his family. His kids are a little bit older, so his wife can fully commit to supporting him inside the house and helping him meal prep. So it was a matter of, he had everything he needed, and I’m very busy.”

By his estimation, Dolce spends close to 270 days on the road – or “250 days that I proved to my accountant” – helping athletes shrink. He said he always has his phone on in the days leading up to a major UFC event because he can be sure someone will call or text in a panic about weight.

Hopefully, he won’t be getting a call from Hendricks any time soon. By the looks of it, the ex-champ is on track.

For more on UFC 185, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM channel 92, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.