Johny Hendricks ankles swelled to the size of his calves.

Two days after his December fight, Hendricks went from 173.5 pounds to almost 220. His whole body swelled. His kidneys started to shut down. Hendricks thought about going to the emergency room.

"I hate doctors," Hendricks said.

Hendricks' swelling went down a few days later, but it was another scare for the Dallas-area UFC fighter that has forced him to move up from welterweight to middleweight. Hendricks, who has missed weight in two straight fights, will face Hector Lombard in a middleweight bout on Feb. 19 at UFC Fight Night 105 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It's also Hendricks' last fight on his UFC contract. He is 33 years old.

The Dallas Morning News spoke to Hendricks about his future and his new gym -- Johny Hendricks MMA -- in Midlothian, Texas, about 25 minutes south of Dallas.

Did the UFC tell you to go up from 170 pounds to 185 pounds?

I didn't give them a choice. I chose to go up. Let's see if I can compete at 185.

Why have you had so much trouble cutting weight?

It's not like I'm fat at 170. I've been cutting since I was 13 or 12. I am only getting older. It's a point where enough is enough. It's killing me. My body told me that. It's time I listen or I will end up in hospital.

Each person's body is different. (UFC welterweight champion) Tyron Woodley, he gets to 205 (pounds), but he also took off for three years after college. Maybe that time let him get away from that. As soon as I graduated (from Oklahoma State), I started to cut weight again. What if I had taken two years off? Would I have those problems right now?

What do you say to people who call you lazy for missing weight?

They don't understand it. I'm training two times a day, hot tubbing two times a day, running four to eight miles to make 170 (pounds), and I did that for five weeks. My kidneys just shut down. It messes my body so much. That's when I said I'm over it.

On his current weight with a little over three weeks before he has to make 185 pounds:

Two-hundred-two (pounds Tuesday), probably 198 after practice. (Hendricks had a tough jiu-jitsu session with 40-plus students on the mat, including black belts Manny Diaz and Joao Rocha).

Is this your last fight in the UFC?

It might be. I don't know what the future holds. You win this fight and UFC might come back and offer me another fight. They might not. If I go out there and compete like I know I can, some other person might say come fight for us. That's where I sit down with my wife and say, "Do we still want to do this?" ... I know what I need to do. If it happens, it happens. For every one door that closes, there's one that opens up.

Let's say I go out there and lose this fight and no one wants me. I can look back and say I don't have any regrets. ... I might be able to focus on (the gym).

On his new MMA gym, which opened up in late 2016:

Once I knew I had a boy (Hendricks had three daughters before having a son last year), I wanted a place to train my boy. (Gym co-owner Randy Clayton) came to me and I said, "Perfect." I can teach wrestling and bring my boy when he gets old enough.

What did you think of your last fight with Neil Magny, to whom you lost a decision?

I felt like I won it, and so did the crowd. If you heard the interview afterward, you couldn't hear it because everyone was booing. I am still going, "How did I lose the fight?" He had an 11-inch reach advantage and he couldn't hit me.

On the differences at middleweight:

(At 170) I am used to fighting faster guys. (At middleweight) I can use my speed and quickness. The good Lord blessed with my strength I can showcase.

On his fight with Hector Lombard:

I think it's great. It's a great fight to see if I can handle 185. He's a strong dude. He used to fight at 170.

On if he would do anything different in his MMA career:

I wouldn't do anything differently. I can look back at my kids and say, "Fame didn't change me. Public didn't change me." I am who I am. You get what you get: A God-fearing, easygoing country boy. I love my trucks and I love my family. That's all that matters.