It goes without saying that no mixed martial artist enjoys being stuck on the sidelines. Frank Vatrano Panthers Jersey . 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." Aleksander Barkov Jersey . -- Navy football player Will McKamey, who has been hospitalized since collapsing at practice three days ago, has died while in a coma. Henrik Borgstrom Panthers Jersey . Louis second-period goal increased the New York Rangers lead but Dustin Brown has countered for the Los Angeles Kings who now trail the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/aleksander-barkov-hockey-jersey/ .Jeff Green, playing in his second preseason game after missing the first four because of a calf strain, had 18 points. The Celtics (3-3) shot 47.2 per cent from the floor and made 15 of 37 3-point attempts.Fern Whelan fully expects England to finish top of their Euro 2017 qualifying group following Saturdays stunning 7-0 win over Serbia at Adams Park. A Karen Carney hat-trick and goals from Alex Greenwood, Ellen White, Izzy Christiansen and debutant Rachel Daly saw England brush aside the visitors with ease ahead of the return fixture in Serbia on Tuesday.England can go two points clear of group leaders Belgium with victory in Serbia and Whelan would not be surprised if head coach Mark Sampson rotates his squad for Englands penultimate qualifier away from home. After Saturdays performance, I cant see anything other than England topping the group, the Notts County Ladies centre-back told Sky Sports. Karen Carney of England scores from the penalty spot Another three points on Tuesday and we will go above Belgium after six games. But youd think it will be a little more difficult away from home in Serbia and youd expect Serbia to maybe change their game-plan.They tried to be defensive against England on Saturday but it didnt work because of the creativity of Englands players. Thats perhaps where we have been lacking in the past.They may try and counteract us on Tuesday but I think we have good players that can come off the bench and Im sure Mark will change the squad around a little bit as well to give people more minutes. England head coach Mark Sampson talks to his squad Sometimes you try and build consistency but all the girls have earned their place in the squad and they will all want to get some minutes Im sure, especially those that werent involved on Saturday.It will be interesting to see what Mark does but it would be good for some of the girls who havent been playing to get some experience as well. Englands women football team beat Serbia 7-0 in a European Qualifier at Adams Park Saturdays win was England biggest since the 8-0 victory over Estonia last September and Whelan, who has three international caps to her name, was impressed by an excellent all-round team performance from the Lionesses. Custom Florida Panthers Jerseys. I was really impressed with England and I think that was the best Ive seen them play in the group stages so far, the former Everton Ladies defender said. Fern Whelan joined us at Sky Sports News HQ for Englands win over Serbia They looked very positive, they created a lot of chances and they looked really dangerous going forward. I think even when Serbia tried to get out of their own half they werent able to do so because England were pressing so high and were right in their faces.The whole XI contributed and it wasnt just the one player who played really well. I think Mark and the girls will have been very happy with Saturdays performance and hopefully it will be more of the same on Tuesday. Also See: SportsWomen Latest Show News Latest News SportsWomen Video ' ' '