Jake Ellenberger: I Don’t See Johny Hendricks Being The Champion A Year From Now
No. 5-ranked UFC welterweight Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger may just be headed for the toughest test of his MMA career when he faces hard-nosed No. 1-ranked Robbie Lawler at May 24’s UFC 173 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A win could potentially catapult Ellenberger onto a short list of direct title contenders to UFC welterweight champion’s Johny Hendricks’ belt once “Bigg Rigg” returns from torn biceps surgery sometimes this fall.
“The Juggernaut” spoke up to ESPN to give his take on the current situation of the stacked UFC 170-pound division. With longtime former champion Georges St. Pierre on hiatus and healing from a recent ACL surgery, Ellenberger thinks the current champion is a lot more beatable than the departed one:
“He’s not like a GSP, where it’s going to take something, you know, some crazy plan to beat him. To beat GSP, everything would have to be pinpoint and precise. With Johny, if you can threaten him with your power and dictate the pace, he’s definitely beatable. I’ve been training with a guy who is exactly like Johny, but better, for years (Mark Munoz).
I’m excited for the day that Johny and I meet. I don’t see Johny being the champion a year from now. There are so many good guys. There are big opportunities for anyone in the top 10. I’m not putting a lot of thought into it because I’m focused on this fight, but it’s an exciting time.”
Indeed it is an exciting time for 170-pound fans, because any Top 10-ranked fighter could potentially beat any other on a given day.
Ellenberger is in an enviable position with his shot at Lawler, and he’s fortunate to have it. He was last seen losing an outright terrible decision to No. 2-ranked Rory MacDonald at last July’s UFC on FOX 8, a fight that was fueled by a ton of trash talk but failed to deliver on the hype.
MacDonald will go to war with Tyron Woodley at UFC 174 to likely decide the division’s next title challenger, but the winner of Ellenberger vs. Lawler won’t be far behind. As for the loss, “The Juggernaut” said he didn’t feel that “GSP’s” protégé was all that dangerous and may have looked past him:
“Rory isn’t real threatening. I look at a guy like Rory and think, ‘OK, he’s not going to hurt me.’ Maybe I overlooked him.”
After being derided for fighting much too passively versus “The Canadian Psycho,” Ellenberger feels that the skills he learned from his loss will motivate him to use a more aggressive game:
“I’ve grown more in the last year than I have the last six years. Having that sense of urgency is a motivator to me.”
We’ll see if he can live up to his nickname and score a upset over a resurgent Lawler. It’s almost as if Ellenberger’s last loss is being overlooked. Will he capitalize on the huge opportunity?
