(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) After coming up short in his first bid for an UFC title earlier this year, a disappointed Robbie Lawler ambled into the UFC 171 post-fight press conference and assessed his losing effort against new welterweight champ Johny Hendricks in the blunt style fans have come to expect from him. “I need to go back to work, obviously,” Lawler (24-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) told reporters. Then he did just that, racking up two impressive victories in four months’ time, leaving little doubt as to whom Hendricks would have to face upon returning from an injury layoff that’s sidelined him since March. For Hendricks (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), it makes for back-to-back fights against one of the scariest sluggers in the 170-pound division. But for the UFC, it’s a way to reboot one of the most exciting fights of 2014 thus far, but without risking the fan fatigue that often accompanies immediate title rematches
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By skipping immediate rematch, UFC renews excitement for Hendricks vs. Lawler – MMA Junkie