Who is most deserving for a crack at the title?

The welterweight division is beginning to heat up these days. With Stephen Thompson’s dominant victory over former champion Johny Hendricks at UFC Fight Night 82 a new welterweight title challenger has emerged. That’s where things begin to get complicated. While Thompson may have had an impressive victory, one that should raise his stock tremendously, there’s been a man waiting in line for his chance for a shot at the title. Tyron Woodley has looked pretty impressive during his UFC tenure and has been waiting patiently for a phone call from UFC brass that would give him the thumbs up for a UFC title shot. Too bad for Woodley that Thompson had such an impressive showing. The truth of the matter is that this new iteration of the UFC is heavily reliant on marketability. While Woodley certainly is a marketable commodity, the reality is that the UFC will have a far simpler time promoting a title fight between champ Robbie Lawler and Stephen Thompson. Why? Because of the nature of both men’s fighting styles the fans are likely to get a stand up striking affair that will more than likely end with a KO victory for either man. Woodley certainly has the tools to have a great match with Lawler as well, the problem is that he hasn’t competed in over a year. Fans have short memories and since Thompson put such a beatdown on Hendricks, the casual viewer is more likely to call for the karate stylist to get a championship fight rather than a talented fighter who has been absent from competition for some time. So what’s the best way to deal with this conundrum? Well, since Thompson injured his ankle during the fight he could be looking at a bit of a lay off. In that time the UFC could easily put on a Lawler vs Woodley match up with Thompson set to face off against the winner. If Thompson is healthy enough for competition however, then things get a bit more dicey. At that point it’s likely that the UFC will do one of two things: have Woodley and Thompson face off against one another or give Thompson the title fight. Thompson has a six fight win streak with a number of sensational knock outs in that interim. It’s an easy sell for the UFC. Woodley unforunately would be the odd man out, but getting a title shot on the strength of victories over Dong Hyun Kim and Kelvin Gastellum alone isn’t enough to sell his case, not after what Thompson did against the former welterweight kingpin. Who do you think deserves the next UFC welterweight title shot? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor and geek culture enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter and keep up with his latest exploits.