George St-Pierre and Johnny Hendricks Called to Headline UFC 20th Anniversary Card

Great news for all Mixed Martial Arts fans. UFC President Dana While recently stated that Canadian fighter and current Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre (24-2) will return to the Octagon to face  #1 welterweight contender Johnny Hendricks on November 16, 2013 at UFC 167. Though the organization hasn't picked an official venue for this event, it is rumored that the event will take place in Las Vegas, NV.

The welterweight title match is expected to serve as the main event on what will be an impressive card in celebration of the UFC's 20th anniversary. More information, including MMA Lines and UFC Fight odds will be announced in the days previous to the fight.

The fight will mark St. Pierre's ninth consecutive defense of his UFC welterweight title. The 32-year old champ is regarded as the most successful welterweight fighter in UFC history, has defended his title in eight different occasions, defeating a long list of top class challengers including names such as Matt Serra, BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz.  St. Pierre’s eight title defenses ranks him second all time in the UFC, only middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva owns more title defenses with a total of 10. In addition, St. Pierre currently holds a record of 11 straight victories dating back to 2007. 

The title defense against Hendricks will mark the first time St. Pierre fights outside of his native Canada since the UFC 111 event held in Newark on July, 2009, and his first fight in Las Vegas since he defeated Thiago Alves in the UFC 100 event.

Meanwhile, the fight represents a chance for former NCAA wrestling champion Johnny Hendricks (15-1) to probe he has what it takes to be amongst the top fighters in the UFC. In the last months Hendicks cemented himself at the top of his category thanks to an impressive streak of six victories over top quality rivals. Known for his very powerful punches, Hendricks defeated some of the best fighters in the welterweight division in his six win stretch, including Charlie Brenneman (TKO after 40 seconds of the second round), Paulo Thiago ( first round TKO), Josh Koscheck (Split decision), and Martin Kapmann (KO at 46 seconds into the first round). He's also the fighter in the UFC to finish John Fitch via KO, winning the fight in just 12 seconds into the first round. Hendricks last competed at UFC 158, where scored a unanimous decision over Carlos Condit to earn a shot at the title.