Following his victory over Stephen Thompson in their rematch at UFC 209, Tyron Woodley is on top of the world as the UFC Welterweight Champion. It's a position that he's wanted for oh so many years now, and after finally reaching the mountaintop fans have one question - what's next? It's a good one, too - as there's a number of potential competitors for the champ to defend his crown against.
Obviously, some of these are much more realistic than others, but as a whole, all five potential bouts could be quite exciting. Woodley himself has stated that he wants a big time money fight, but we'll warn you all now that Conor McGregor will not be appearing anywhere on this list. Why? Because it'd be an absolutely ridiculous mismatch between the two, that's why.
You may think that all of the competitors will stem from the welterweight division, but there are one or two names in there that could come either up or down in weight classes in order to try and dethrone Mr Woodley. It's certainly a tough ask, but we've seen in the past against the likes of Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald that he's certainly not unbeatable.
With that being said, here are five potential title fights for Tyron Woodley.
#1 Georges St-Pierre
It's the one that he's been asking for, and it's the one that we believe he should get. Georges St-Pierre is currently occupied with an upcoming Middleweight Championship bout against Michael Bisping, but following that there should be no doubt as to who his next match up should be - Tyron Woodley. Tell us you wouldn't want to see that.
Also read: 5 reasons why Georges St-Pierre vs. Bisping will be amazing
GSP has arguably never faced anyone with Woodley's knockout power before, and in equal measure, Woodley hasn't really faced anyone of GSP's skill or ability. Obviously, we haven't seen Georges inside of the octagon in over three years, but that's why the Bisping fight will be so interesting. He'll likely defeat the Brit, and if he does that he could follow in McGregor's footsteps and try to become a two-weight champion.
Onto a man who Tyron will be sick of at this point.
#2 Stephen Thompson
Yup - we want to see the trilogy. Stephen Thompson has come within a whisker of becoming the UFC Welterweight Champion twice now, and whilst the second fight didn't really live up to expectations, we're confident a third would see Wonderboy come at Woodley a lot more aggressively. The two men match up brilliantly, and when you get a feud like that it just feels wrong to blow it off without a third match up.
Some would argue that Thompson doesn't deserve it due to the fact he hasn't won either of the two previous encounters, but we would argue that he could easily have been declared the victor on either occasion. Some may dispute that claim, but regardless he's just such a well-rounded performer that we question who else has the ability to challenge Woodley.
With that being said, this next gentleman would argue that he's fully prepared to take on the champion.
#3 Robbie Lawler
Robbie Lawler is a bad, bad man. The guy is a Fight of the Year machine and has proven time and time again that he is one of the most impressive fighters in the history of the UFC - and that's not an understatement. A rematch against Woodley would provide Lawler with the change to avenge his loss and take back what he feels is rightfully his.
We can't imagine that the fight would go the full five rounds, but just think about how much fun it'd be to watch? Honestly, if you guys thought the Thompson-Woodley first fight was something special then wait til we witness Lawler vs Woodley one more time. It's uncertain as to when exactly that'll happen, but hopefully it's sooner rather than later.
Now to a guy who has been around for a long old time.
#4 Demian Maia
Guys, you don't mess with Demian Maia. It just doesn't happen. He's one of the most skilled fighters to ever step foot in the UFC. Plus, he's one of the most tenured guys around too with it being nearly a decade since he first stepped inside the octagon for the UFC.
Maia has been on a phenomenal win streak as of late with six straight victories launching a late career push for the title, with three of those six triumphs coming by way of rear-naked choke. Woodley would likely still be the favourite heading into this bout but let's not take anything away from Maia and his unreal ability to continually reinvent his game.
We conclude with one of the most popular men in mixed martial arts today.
#5 Donald Cerrone
Donald Cerrone is one of the most enjoyable fighters to watch inside of the octagon and it's been that way for a long time now. The guy just never seems to give up and his skills are apparently improving with age, which will eventually make him a guaranteed contender for the Welterweight Championship - at least, that's what we hope happens.
Woodley would once again take the tag of being the favourite with Cerrone being the underdog, but if we've learned anything during our time watching MMA it's that you should never count anyone out. Cerrone can catch anyone off guard at a moment's notice and Woodley can't afford to be complacent, which is something a lot of champions have been guilty of in the past.
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