Johny Hendricks was once one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts, but rampant speculation that ‘Big Rig’ was an avid user of performance-enhancing drugs has seemingly tarnished his impressive resume.
Debuting for the UFC in 2009, Johny Hendricks ran through a who’s who at welterweight, including Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, Josh Koshcheck, and Martin Kampmann. However, Hendricks’ success did not last as he unceremoniously exited the UFC in 2017 after dropping five of his last six bouts inside the Octagon. Ironically, Hendricks’ struggles began around the same time that the promotion partnered with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Before his downward spiral, Johny Hendricks earned himself a welterweight title opportunity at UFC 167, taking on then-champion Georges St-Pierre. GSP walked away with his title intact via split decision, but many still argue that ‘Big Rig’ did more than enough to dethrone the French Canadian icon that evening. Looking back on the fight and Hendricks’ downfall, Firas Zahabi, St-Pierre’s longtime coach and the proprietor of Tristar Gym, believes that Hendricks was using banned substances going into their world title clash and likely throughout his impressive run.
