The NY Times did a feature on new welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. The story is a personal feature on Hendricks, his training and family as he prepared for his fight with Robbie Lawler.
Entitled, “U.F.C’s Big Daddy: A Fighter’s Training Pays Off.” the feature is more slideshow pictorial than actual story but it focuses on his training regimen as well as a look at his home life with his kids.
The piece comes off good for Hendricks as he appears as a simple family man working out at his nearby gym and swimming pool in preparation for the biggest fight of his life.
Payout Perspective:
Coming off of his big win at UFC 171, this is a great mainstream placement for the UFC. It shows that the UFC (waiting on the AP style ruling on whether it is U.F.C.) is hoping that Hendricks can be the next big star for the UFC. Without Anderson Silva and GSP, the UFC needs faces for the company and they hope that it gets one with a guy who is as tough a guy in the Octagon as he is nice outside of it.
I wonder how much Reebok had to do with this, if the focus is on his training.
I think this image of a nice father and a cage fighter is sooo done and overdone. I mean its soo common that it makes me roll my eyes. This is what EVERY Cain primetime special is all about.
@Diego Could be true although not a lot of gratuitous Reebok logo in the photos. I did notice he had a Polaris ATV while he was cutting brush. Polaris a UFC sponsor.
@Peeter I understand but its a safe bet