Johny Hendricks: Robbie Lawler Is 'A More Dangerous Fight' Than GSP

Upcoming UFC welterweight title challenger Johny Hendricks believes his May 15 showdown with Robbie Lawler will be a more physical affair than the one he had with Georges St-Pierre in November. 

During a conference call promoting UFC 171 on Thursday, Hendricks explained the major differences between fighting "The Ruthless One" and GSP, per MMA Fighting. 

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"Georges, you knew that he was going to throw a jab, a high kick, a low kick, and try to take you down. That's his gameplan," Hendricks said. "Robbie, if you make a mistake, we've seen it time and time again, he can knock you out. So you really have to make sure that you stay focused, cross all your t's and dot all your i‘s, and make sure that you stay solid. That's a lot more dangerous fight."

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In 22 professional victories, Lawler has scored 18 knockouts, accounting for approximately 82% of the wins on his ledger.

Comparatively, St-Pierre has won eight of his 25 career victories via knockout, meaning 32 percent of his professional wins have come by way of KO. 

In short, Lawler is known for his highlight reel-worthy knockouts, while the longtime welterweight kingpin is best known for outclassing and outpointing his opponents. 

Hendricks fought St-Pierre for the championship at UFC 167, landing big power shots and defending the majority of the French-Canadian superstar's highly regarded takedowns. 

While a significant portion of fans, fighters and analysts believed "Bigg Rigg" had done enough to capture the title, two out of the three judges in Las Vegas disagreed and awarded GSP a controversial split decision. 

About a month later, St-Pierre announced his hiatus from the sport, vacating the belt in the process, per MMA Junkie. 

The UFC didn't waste much time in booking Hendricks vs. Lawler to decide who would wear the vacant belt. 

Will Lawler's career resurgence continue by becoming the first man to put Hendricks' light out inside the cage, or will the bulky, bearded slugger find another target for his big left hand?

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.