Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson vs. Robbie Lawler is the title fight the UFC needs to make
Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson not only defeated former champion Johny Hendricks with a first-round knockout on Saturday night, but he also may have just secured a title shot against welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.
Heading into the fight with Hendricks, Thompson was a solid underdog while taking on a former champion with knockout power and possibly the best wrestling in the entire division.
Hendricks faltered with an early takedown attempt and from there Thompson just picked him apart with precision striking, including a bevy of kicks while virtually ignoring the wrestling prowess of the former NCAA champion.
Thompson earned the knockout at 3:31 into the first round and he did what Robbie Lawler and Georges St-Pierre couldn't do before him: put Hendricks away before the final bell.
Following the victory, Thompson wasted no time calling for a title shot against Lawler and the UFC would be crazy not to honor that request, especially considering what the karate prodigy managed to do against Hendricks.
Thompson has won six fights in a row with four of those coming by way of knockout or TKO as he rockets up the rankings, and likely will occupy a spot in the top three after putting Hendricks away. His flashy style and knockout power have made Thompson one of the most exhilarating fighters in the welterweight division, and beating a former champion fully justifies his shot at the title now rather than later.
It's an unfortunate turn of events for Tyron Woodley, who looked like the most logical choice for the title shot after Hendricks botched his weight cut ahead of their fight last October, and Woodley was then promised a shot at the belt.
Rather than take another matchup, Woodley opted to sit and wait for the winner of Lawler and Carlos Condit, who fought at UFC 195 in January. Obviously, Woodley wasn't at fault for Hendricks failing to make weight, and he had every right to feel slighted by the fact that he went through the rigors of a difficult training camp with every intention of picking up a signature win over a former champion, and instead watched the card from the seats.
Still, like numerous fighters before him, Woodley likely is getting a harsh lesson in the ever-present phenomenon that rules MMA: What have you done for me lately?
Woodley's last win, a split decision against Kelvin Gastelum, came in January 2015 and a lot has happened since that time, not the least of which was Thompson's victory on Saturday.
Add to that, the UFC loves to put together the most exciting matchups possible and following a potential “Fight of the Year” between Lawler and Condit in early January, the prospects of adding "Wonderboy" to that equation just seems to equal another highlight-packed performance.
Thompson seemingly was raised from birth to become the best striker in the sport, but he's never faced a fighter like Lawler, who has the most vicious one-punch knockout power of anyone at 170 pounds and his confidence has only grown since becoming champion.
The prospect of Thompson and Lawler meeting in the Octagon and trading strikes for 25 minutes — or until one of them falls over — is just too enticing to resist.
As far as Woodley goes, the good news is there are still a ton of great matchups for him in the division to remind the world he's somehow become the forgotten No. 1 contender. Woodley could face Condit for a second time — when they first met in 2013, a knee injury forced Condit to stop in the second round.
Woodley also could go after Rory MacDonald again, after he put on arguably one of his worst performances against the Canadian contender in their first fight in 2014.
It's an unfortunate turn of circumstances for Woodley, but one that could still end with him getting a marquee fight and then a title shot.
Right now, however, "Wonderboy" versus Lawler is the fight to make.
