It goes without saying that no mixed martial artist enjoys being stuck on the sidelines. Though fighters each have their own motivations for competing, they all must embrace the grind if they hope to reach the top. Not only do debilitating injuries prevent further training — and therefore hinder progress — they also mean a lack of paydays. For newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, his current hiatus is only further compounded by the fact that he has yet to defend his title. The two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion captured the vacant 170-pound strap at UFC 171 in March, winning a thrilling unanimous decision over Robbie Lawler. However, he immediately underwent surgery to repair a torn bicep and has since been forced to watch as the welterweight elite jockey for the No. 1 contender spot. Though Hendricks admitted his body has enjoyed the time off, his mind has been itching to get back in the cage. "Im tired of being on the DL," Hendricks told UFC.ca during a phone interview. "It sucks watching everybody else train and do things when you cant. "It was nice to finally let the body heal, but then again, you want to be there. You want to train. Thats the way Ive always been. I like being at the front and active — all those things that a lot of people might not like. Theres nothing better than waking up every day, training and having something to train for, as well. Those are the things that make it fun for me." Luckily for Hendricks, his downtime is coming to a close. On top of already returning to full-time training, hes only days away from having his first title challenger established when Lawler battles surging Matt Brown in the main event of UFC on FOX 12 in San Jose, Calif. Saturday. Though Hendricks said he doesnt care who gets the job done this weekend, he expects an entertaining war from two of the welterweight divisions most aggressive fighters. "Its going to be a good one and I think it could go a couple ways," Hendricks said. "Matt Brown could win if he keeps his distance right. One thing I expect to see from Matt Brown is to keep his distance, throw a lot of kicks and keep Robbie Lawler off balance. "From Robbie Lawler, a thing he does very well is get guys to fight into his style. Thats something that I fell into, too. In that fifth round I had to pull myself back from that. Thats what (Brown) cant do. Robbie Lawlers going to try to get Matt Brown to fight his fight. If he does that it could be a quick night for Matt Brown." Even without title-shot implications, Brown vs. Lawler is a fight fans dream. Neither athlete is known playing it safe once the octagon door shuts. Since Lawler and Brown hold a combined 31 career knockout victories, fireworks are all but guaranteed. Then theres the curious case of Brown, who has successfully made the leap from journeyman to contender by netting seven consecutive victories. Hendricks said hes curious to see how The Ultimate Fighter 7 cast member handles the stress of competing in a title eliminator. "Itll be good for him to fight somebody in the top five for the first time," Hendricks said. "This is a big-time fight for him. This is a fight that could change his life forever. Thats something that you want to see: How does he handle the pressure? Does he handle that this could be the fight of his life?" Though a win for Brown would add yet another chapter to MMAs most intriguing win streak, a Lawler victory would guarantee a rematch of arguably the best fight of 2014 so far. Lawler pushed Hendricks to the limit four months ago, but faded in the final minutes of a wild slugfest. Despite being on the receiving end of a vicious beating in the third and fourth rounds, Hendricks said he wouldnt change his approach should he lock horns with Lawler a second time. He would simply tighten certain holes Lawler exposed in their first encounter. "There are some things that I would change up because of what I know now," Hendricks said. "But other than that, no. I thought I had a good game plan going into the Robbie Lawler fight. We just didnt know how bad my injury was and how it would hinder me. "That played a huge factor in trying to get takedowns. Dont get me wrong, its not that I want to do a lot of takedowns, but one of my greatest attributes is that I can get somebody scared on the feet. The reason why Im able to get people scared on the feet is because I can take them down. Thats something I have to know for myself. I have to have both of those (tools) for me to be effective with one or the other. They sort of intertwine." For the time being though, Hendricks isnt worrying about who will be next in line. Like the rest of us, hes just looking forward to a good fight this weekend. Then, once the dust has settled, he will shift his focus to retaining the UFC welterweight championship. "Thats why I wanted to be on top, because I dont have to worry about (challengers)," Hendricks said. "Now, I get to focus on what I need to do. How do I get better? Then whenever I do get cleared to fight, and the UFC and my management group do come up with somebody, thats when I can switch my mind over to it and thats all Im going to give my attention to." ----- SIZING UP 170 Though UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks is expected to face the winner of Saturdays bout between Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler, there are a number of elite fighters vying for a future title shot. Among those at the top of the list is B.C. native Rory MacDonald, who has won consecutive decisions over Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley in recent appearances. Hendricks admitted MacDonald could offer an interesting challenge, but also took a jab at the Canadians last five outings all going the distance. "I think hes a good (challenger)," Hendricks said. "He can do some amazing things. Id like to see him try to finish a couple people — that would be great. But everybodys style is different. Thats whats nice about the welterweight class, there are so many different ways it could go." On top of MacDonald, fighters such as Woodley, Hector Lombard and Dong Hyun Kim have all been making waves at 170 pounds. Hendricks admitted its an exciting time for the division, but said he doesnt spend time thinking about the murderers row currently gunning for his championship. "Heres what Ive learned from wrestling — I cant worry about Hector Lombard, Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley, Matt Brown or Robbie Lawler," Hendricks began. "Right now, what I have to do is worry about what I can do. I have to worry about what I need to do to get better. Nobody else matters. "Lets say I decide to worry about Robbie Lawler because he has a better chance of winning (against Brown). If I worry about Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown wins, Ive just wasted (time) worrying about fighting Robbie Lawler when I could have been preparing myself to get better." Aside from the current crop of contenders, Hendricks also cant go far without former champ Georges St-Pierres name coming up. The MMA legend won a controversial split decision over Hendricks in November and many fans have been calling for a rematch ever since. Hendricks said he would relish the opportunity to rematch St-Pierre should the Montreal native choose to return to fighting. "The way that he went out and the way the last fight went, people want to see a rematch," Hendricks said. "So Ive always figured he wouldnt be a name that would really die down. Not only that, he was the champion for six years. Its going to be hard for that name to die down. "What Ive been telling everybody is: I dont want to kill his name. I just want to make my own name." Custom Baltimore Orioles Nike Jerseys . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Custom Baseball Jerseys . Toronto dropped a 7-2 decision to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday afternoon, with only a pair of late runs preventing a second straight shutout loss. Josh Willingham belted a two-run homer in the first inning and Kendrys Morales hit a bases-clearing double in the seventh as the Twins took the rubber game of the three-game series. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.co...ike-jerseys.com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were among the third-round winners Friday at the French Open. Custom Baseball Jerseys China . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, it doesnt appear the offer was warmly received by the team. Blue Jackets director of hockey operations John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said on Wednesday the team has made offers of $6 million for two years, $32 million for six and $46 million over eight years but each one was refused by the restricted free agent centre and agent Kurt Overhardt. Custom Miami Marlins Nike Jerseys . Manager Ryan Nelsen has confirmed Brazilian No. 1 Julio Cesar will be rested for Wednesdays first leg of the semifinal. That opens the door for Bendik, who started 33 games for Toronto last season. LIVERPOOL, England -- Embracing his teammates after a hugely significant win in the Premier League title race, Steven Gerrard looked to the skies and cried tears of joy. A first championship in 24 years is tantalizingly in sight for Liverpool and its inspirational captain. A 78th-minute winner by Philippe Coutinho earned Liverpool a 3-2 victory over title rival Manchester City and capped a thrilling and emotionally charged match at Anfield on Sunday. A 10th straight win kept Liverpool top of the standings and means four more victories in its last four matches will ensure the league trophy returns to Merseyside for the first time since 1990. "That is probably the biggest statement we have made so far," Gerrard said, moments after the leaving the pitch to a standing ovation and a pat on the back from City manager Manuel Pellegrini. "That was the longest 90 minutes I have probably played in. It felt like the clock was going backwards." Driven on by its passionate and frenzied support, Liverpool blew away City in a breathtaking opening, going 2-0 ahead thanks to goals by Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel inside 26 minutes. City produced a stirring second-half fightback, with David Silva scoring in the 57th before Glen Johnsons own goal five minutes later looked like giving the visitors a point. But Coutinho pounced on City captain Vincent Kompanys poor clearance to curl home a low strike, sending the home crowd into delirium. Jordan Hendersons injury-time red card for a studs-up challenge on Samir Nasri came too late to affect the outcome. An emotional Gerrard rounded up Liverpools players into a huddle after the final whistle and -- with his fist clenched -- delivered a rousing speech, imploring his teammates to keep going to the end of the season. For the title race is far from over. Third-place City is seven points behind Liverpool but with two games in hand. Second-place Chelsea is two points off the lead and also has the title in its own hands, with one of its last four games coming at Anfield on April 27. "The title does not finish today," Pellegrini said. "A lot of things will happen between now and the end of the season." All the momentum is with Liverpool, however, and it would mean so much to the club and its fans if it can win the league this season, given that Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disastter in which 96 Liverpool fans were killed in a stadium crush.dddddddddddd Gerrards cousin was among those to die in the tragedy. Thousands of Liverpool fans lined the streets outside Anfield hours before kickoff to cheer the team bus into the ground -- "the game started on the way in," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said -- and the sea of flags, scarves and banners in the iconic Kop stand harked back to the days in the late 1970s and 80s when the club dominated English and European football. A string of tributes to mark the upcoming Hillsborough anniversary added to the gravitas of the contest and Citys players simply failed to deal with it in the first half. By the 26th minute, they had fallen two goals behind, lost midfield driving force Yaya Toure to a hamstring injury and their defence was being undone by the pace and movement of Luis Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling and the excellent Coutinho. The Liverpool crowd also played its part, following Rodgers orders to "unleash" themselves on City, and there was lift off inside the stadium when Sterling opened the scoring. Suarez played a pass in behind Kompany, whose fitness was in doubt after twisting his knee in training on Saturday. Sterling raced through before coming to a stop, befuddling Kompany and goalkeeper Joe Hart with some nifty footwork and then stroking home into an empty net. City looked rattled already and its predicament worsened in the 19th when Toure hobbled off. Then, after Gerrard had a header brilliantly saved by Hart, the midfielder whipped in the resulting corner for Skrtel to peel off Kompany and glance a header into the far corner. Cue furious scarf-waving across Anfield. "Poetry in Motion" was the chant from the Kop, but City reacted well and raised the tempo at the start of the second half, with the introduction of James Milner for Jesus Navas sparking an improvement. Milner crossed for Silva to poke home in the 57th and Silvas centre was deflected unwittingly into the net off Johnson five minutes later. It was all City but in a rare foray forward by Liverpool, Kompany miscued his clearance, Coutinho gathered and curled a shot into the corner. "We live with Hillsborough every day -- the families and the victims are in our thoughts every day," Rodgers said. "It was an inspiration for us, rather than something that held us back." ' ' '