(Not so fun while it lasted.)

Josh “Heavy” Hendricks has one thing going for him: he doesn’t have to worry about anyone putting him in a video game. His knockout loss to Gabriel Gonzaga was enough to get him bounced from the UFC after only one fight. Granted, he did not look like he was up to the level of competition in the UFC. Gonzaga absolutely dominated him in his brief few minutes in the Octagon, before knocking him out and then punching him again while Steve Mazzagatti was busy sorting out his tax deductions in his head.

But at the same time, making your UFC debut against a guy like Gonzaga is a tough way to start and finish. It’s kind of like being brought up to the majors for one at-bat to face a pitcher who almost made the All-Star team last year. You strike out on three pitches, no one in the clubhouse says a word to you, and the next day you catch a Greyhound back to Rancho Cucamonga to play for the Quakes again. And yes, that type of thing has been known to happen in baseball, so this isn’t a case of the UFC being uncommonly dickish. It’s just another one of the normal dickish things that happens in pro sports.

Best of luck in your future endeavors, Hendricks. At least now you’ll have plenty of time to pound out that screenplay you’ve always wanted to write about the aliens that come to earth to intervene in the Revolutionary War. Can’t wait to read it.

(Josh Hendricks steamrolls Rick McChristian at GFS: Caged Vengeance in February 2006; the destruction begins at the 1:47 mark.)

Amir Sadollah’s leg infection means we won’t get to see what this Nick Catone dude’s all about, but there will still be two Octagon first-timers trying their luck in Las Vegas on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know in order to sound smart around your friends…

JOSH “HEAVY” HENDRICKS (HW)
Experience: 15-4 record in various midwestern promotions, with 13 wins by 1st-round stoppage. Has gone 10-0 with one no-contest in his last 11 fights.
Will be facing: Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3, 5-2 UFC)
Lowdown: Randy Couture hand-picked this former two-time All-American wrestler to help him prepare for his bout against Brock Lesnar (you might have caught a glimpse of him in the Countdown to UFC 91 special on Spike). At 6’2″, 246 pounds, Hendricks isn’t quite as big as Lesnar, but he’s got plenty of speed and power, and very few opponents have made it out of the first round against him. Ring rust may be an issue, however; his last fight — a 50-second submission-by-strikes victory over Braden Bice — took place a year ago.

RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (LW)
Experience: 11-2 record with multiple appearances in the Brazilian fight clubs Fury FC and XFC. He has won his last nine fights, and has never lost by stoppage.
Will be facing: Jeremy Stephens (13-3, 2-2 UFC)
Lowdown: The reigning lightweight champ of Fury FC, UFC 91 marks Dos Anjos’s first appearance in North America. Most of his wins come via submission, which is no surprise considering he’s a student of BJJ greats Aldo “Caveirinha” Januário and Roberto “Gordo” Correa. He’s also a member of the Gracie Fusion fight team, and used to train under the late Ryan Gracie. Two of his fights are after the jump…