Not the most confident start to a championship reign…

UFC 201 was the night of the underdog as Jake Ellenberger, Karolina Kowakiewicz, and Tyron Woodley pulled off massive upsets. Though odds makers and experts gave them a chance at victory, no one could have anticipated the nature of their victories. The main event in particular was a bit of a shocker for many. After watching Robbie Lawler go to war in his last several matches it was hard to believe that anyone could shut off the lights on the former champion. Tyron Woodley was not only able to get the job done, but he did so within one round. As surprising as that turn of events may have seemed, there was something far more alarming to consider and that’s the notion that the new champ is already avoiding the number one contender. When you become the ruler of your division many current and former champions always touch on the fact that they never pick their match ups. Usually the champion waits to hear who the top contender is in their weight class then prepares for the challenge accordingly. It seems that Tyron Woodley has other things in mind. Stephen Thompson, the number one UFC Welterweight contender in the world, respectfully confronted Woodley after the newly crowned champs victory and issued a challenge for the title. Rather than give the typical speech of not choosing his opponents and being ready for anyone, Woodley took a far different approach. Instead of accepting Thompson’s challenge Woodley proposed that he would rather fight Nick Diaz as he believes it will be a big money fight. What? Sure, there may be a bit of bad blood brewing between Woodley and Thompson, particularly since the latter suggested that the fight between Tyron and Robbie Lawler would be boring. But that should only bolster the idea that a match up between the two would be a fan friendly and lucrative fight. With Woodley stating that he’d rather get a huge payday against Nick Diaz, is it safe to say that he’s ducking Stephen Thompson? In a word the answer is yes. Thompson matches up extremely well with Woodley and in fact anyone else in the Welterweight division for that matter. But in prize fighting it’s all about what bouts will line your pockets with the most loot and a bout between Woodley and Diaz would be interesting. If nothing else the fans would get to see Diaz back in action after being suspended for marijuana use more than a year ago. Woodley and Diaz would likely get a hefty payday, there’s no doubting that. But it doesn’t bode well for the new champion to avoid the rightful number one contender in favor of facing a man who hasn’t had a legit win in years. The whole notion is even more ludicrous when you consider the fact that Woodley was accusing Lawler of doing that very same thing during his reign as champion. All in all, from a business aspect it may make sense for Woodley to issue a challenge to Diaz. After all he’s capable of winning that bout easily with his explosive wrestling and could get a nice chunk of money in the process. That’s the whole point of prize fighting right? Well really that depends largely on who you ask. If you ask me it’s not a great starting point to begin your championship reign by avoiding the biggest challenge on the horizon. It makes Woodley seem afraid and if there’s one thing that would hurt his career more, it would be the idea that the “best in the world” is consumed with fear. Let us know by hitting up our comments below or head on over to our official Facebook and Twitter.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.