Paulo Thiago vs. Johny Hendricks

A late addition to the UFC’s Versus 3 fight card has surfaced as Brazilian Paulo Thiago(13-3) will face heavily-decorated wrestler Johny Hendricks(9-1) according to MMAjunkie.

16th ranked welterweight Paulo Thiago has defied the odds since signing with the UFC as a virtual unknown in 2009. He debuted against top 10 fighter Josh Koscheck in what was supposed to be a hand-fed opponent for Kos, but Thiago stunned the MMA world by catching Koscheck with a combination that floored the title contender in what marked Paulo Thiago’s arrival on the UFC scene. Thiago has faced Top 10 opponents ever since and though results have been mixed he has proven to be a tough fight and a talented all-around fighter who has also gained fans’ respect for his dangerous day job as a Brazilian Special Forces Officer.

Johny Hendricks(ranked 22nd) was also placed in an undesirable position in his UFC debut, opposite TUF winner Amir Sadollah. Sadollah was being groomed as a future UFC star at the time and Hendricks was coming in as a supposed one-dimensional wrestler with novice striking skills, but Hendricks put those thoughts to rest as he stopped Sadollah with strikes in the 1st round. Hendricks has been pegged as a future contender ever since, but he’s struggled at times in his rise up the ranks including an underwhelming performance against Rick Story last time out.

This is a great matchup that will prove whether Hendricks is for real or still needs a bit more seasoning. Paulo Thiago has turned into a bit of a gatekeeper following two straight losses, but he brings the fight and can stop his opponents in a variety of ways. Hendricks has not faced a top grappler yet, and it will be interesting to see how Hendricks does on the ground and working from the guard of a BJJ black belt. Thiago is battle-tested against top competition, and I think he has the skills and calmness needed to outsmart and outlast Hendricks’ early offense.