Flames of chaos have engulfed the UFC welterweight division after Tyron Woodley‘s emphatic title win at this past Saturday’s UFC 201 event. Though the fire is still in its infancy, and no damage has been done yet, it threatens to destroy all within its path, including the UFC’s divisional structure and championship meritocracy.
The welterweight division has long been the most exciting and competitive in the UFC. Whether it has always the biggest pay-per-view attraction is certainly debatable, at least in the post-Georges St. Pierre era. However, in terms of action and the pure essence of fighting, no division embodies that the UFC is about quite like the 170 lbs division. In no other division has the champion had to work harder and has the belt been defended so proportionately regularly. Though heavyweights may invariably result in fireworks, the belt is defended too infrequently to measure up to their more average-sized counterparts.
UFC Faces Chaos If Tyron Woodley Ducks Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson
To hold onto the Welterweight championship you truly do have to walk through fire. On Saturday night Tyron Woodley did just that. He knocked out perhaps the most feared champion in the UFC at the time – “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler; and leaving Atlanta, Georgia with his belt. Woodley bested the man that some considered the best, and with the championship to his name, he can confidently call himself the best welterweight in the world for doing so. What happens next, though, is what will define his reign and almost certainly his career. He may hold the belt that says that he’s the best, but whether or not he’s a true champion remains to be seen and hinges on one single question – will he fight Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson?
Woodley’s Title Shot
Many questioned why Woodley received the title shot in the first place. Whilst the likes of Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson were tearing through the competition, Woodley sat on the sidelines in brash and stubborn expectation of a title shot. On a two fight winning streak – a split decision win over Kelvin Gastelum and Dong Hyun Kim – neither of which have ever been considered close to championship contention – Woodley was far from a deserving number one contender and the whole world knew it. With losses to Jake Shields – cut from the UFC just one loss after besting Woodley – and Rory MacDonald, twice defeated by then-challenger Robbie Lawler – only the Woodley camp were clamouring for a title shot.
Rather than stay active and earn his title shot, he elected to employ a highly controversial strategy of avoiding the choppy waters of the welterweight division entirely and waited for his moment to re-emerge, swooping in like a buzzard when fighters were either eliminated from the title picture or already matched up by Joe Silva. When Woodley was granted his championship opportunity, the division collectively scratched its head. Rory MacDonald, Carlos Condit and Stephen Thompson were among the many who questioned why Woodley was being granted a title fight with such little momentum.
The questioning eventually got to Woodley, with “The Chosen One” lashing out in interviews, labelling the division full of “whiners” and referring to “Wonderboy” Thompson – fresh off of a decisive win over Rory MacDonald, the same MacDonald who dominated Woodley just two fights prior – “Wonderwoman”. Woodley knew he didn’t deserve the title shot, but he didn’t care.
Answering the Questions at UFC 201
The questioning of Woodley’s title shot disappeared as soon as the cage door slammed shut on Saturday night and “The Chosen One” proved his credentials with one punch. In truth, Woodley’s talent was never in doubt. Athletically gifted with a stellar wrestling base and in possession of devastating, albeit one-dimensional striking, Woodley was always going to fight for the title someday. That wasn’t the problem. The odds-makers knew that the UFC 201 wasn’t going to be a blowout. The problem was that Woodley hadn’t fought his way to the top. Undeserving though he might have been, he is now the one holding all of the cards and will feel as though he has made everyone eat their words.
Despite his big night in Atlanta, Woodley will not be able to shake the lingering tag of “undeserving” until he defends his title belt against a truly deserving challenger. One that has gone about their business in the same way Robbie Lawler had; by winning fights and earning the admiration of his peers. Does Woodley feel the same way? If pre and post-UFC 201 interviews are anything to go by – no, he does not. Tyron Woodley wants to treat the divisional meritocracy with the same contempt he has for the past year and a half. He wants to avoid fighting the sharks that are swimming around him. Logical in his mind, but cowardly in the minds of many onlookers. This is perhaps an admission that provides insight into his own insecurities as a fighter; and as a pay-per-view draw.
Money Fights
In the lead up to UFC 201 Tyron Woodley went on record as saying that once he wins the Welterweight championship, he is going after “money” fights and is actively avoiding a fight with Thompson, or any other ranked contender for that matter. What does that mean, some may ask? Ask Woodley and he may tell you that it’s fights with big names that he wants. Fights that will equal big buy-rates that will line his pockets with big money. If you were to be more specific and ask Tyron for names; he’ll tell you exactly who he wants without hesitation: Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz or Georges St-Pierre.
Let’s peruse Woodley’s ideal challengers: Nick Diaz, a Welterweight win-less in 5 years, who failed his most recent drugs test in his last fight; Nick’s brother Nate Diaz, a journeyman lightweight best known for submitting a featherweight in a freak show fight contested at welterweight and has never come close to making traction in his own division; and finally Georges St-Pierre, a dominant champion in a bygone era, so shaken by his bout with Johny Hendricks that he walked away from the sport and the belt in 2013 and hasn’t been seen since. Three men who haven’t earned anything close to a title fight in recent times – much like Woodley, some may be inclined to say with more than a spitting of venom.
The Decision and the Precedent
Woodley’s desire for money fights is logical in his own mind and he cannot be blamed for having his opinion and desires. Woodley is not the first champion who wanted to pick easy fights, and in essence he is not the problem in this scenario. The last word will always be the UFC’s, and it is until the UFC clarifies this situation that the division and all of its contenders will be in disarray.
Do the UFC honcho’s agree with Woodley? Do they believe that pairing him with somebody based solely on name-value and not on recent form is the right thing to do? Or do they believe that its high-time they put on a genuine Welterweight title fight based on hard work and above all else, wins? We will soon find out, but the silence thus far is deafening. UFC has had ample opportunity to clarify the situation, and it is with baited breath that we await the conclusion to this muddled situation.
The Effect Throughout the Promotion
The UFC’s next move doesn’t just affect the welterweight division, but rather each division in the UFC and all of its fighters. It will signify their intentions going forward. WME, the group that has recently purchased the Ultimate Fighting Championship for a reported $4 billion, may have their own ideas about how they want to promote fights and events, and we can only find out in time. One things for sure – their response to this dilemma will be their response to any future dilemmas at any of the other nine divisions.
Do they want to promote legitimate championship fights that will be seen as sporting events by the onlooking world? Do they want to promote money fights, circus fights or any other freak-show that may draw in a few extra eyes? The answer will either give reassurance to every fighter not holding a belt that wins DO matter. That there IS something to fight towards in the UFC; or it will destroy their ambitions and slap them across the face.
It will either give them a reason to put their hearts and souls into training in the hope that their hard work will one day be recognized; or it will instead rip the ladder of success from under them and kick them to the ground. They will be providing an elevator for every ageing “big name” in the Sport to waltz their way to the top. A trip to a title fight without having to earn a thing.
Wonderboy Caught in the Middle
Stephen Thompson is the man caught in the middle of this situation. He has already seen Tyron Woodley take his title shot away from him once. Now “The Chosen One” seems dead set on taking it away from him again. With comprehensive wins over Johny Hendricks and Rory MacDonald, Thompson can argue that his resume trumps that of Woodley. He certainly owns more top five wins than Woodley’s sole victory over Lawler. However, without an opportunity at the championship he has no way of proving it. Herein lies the problem. He is a welterweight and life-long competitor seeking greatness. Wonderboy is seeing it taken from his grasp continually through no fault of his own.
There is only so much disrespect and rejection that a man can take. Though Wonderboy has the heart of a champion and the willingness to do right by the company. If he were to take yet another “title eliminator”; he would surely approach that fight with diminished motivation and morale. Thompson has reached his breaking point. After garnering a reputation as perhaps the most mild-mannered and polite fighter in all of MMA; he has begun to speak up on the aberration that is the Welterweight title scene and his treatment in general.
The Value of Championships
The divisional championship belt is what each fighter in the UFC should be striving for. It is becoming worryingly apparent that wins are no longer enough to move forwards and towards the belt. If this is the case, then why should fighters continue? If there is no belt at stake, there is no carrot or incentive for the next generation to chase. Should UFC whore its belts to the shrinking pool of big name oldies; there will be no next generation of “stars” to promote “money fights”.
Short Term and Long Term Consequences
It is a short-term policy that will unquestionably have long term consequences. It is one thing for Bellator to promote illogical, often downright offensive fights. The UFC needs to hold itself to a higher standard. UFC quite simply IS the Sport of MMA. However, it is recently shifting the focus away from sport and instead to entertainment.
Sport is timeless and entertainment is fickle, and that is where UFC is playing a dangerous game. They could easily kill their brand by losing their sporting identity. The promotion could flounder like many television shows ultimately will. Sport lives forever, the spirit of competition lives forever, and the UFC needs to remember that. Freak show fights and “money” fights may be interesting now to a generation who grew up on certain fighters. However they will mean nothing to others who see through the facade. They question why the best fighters in the world aren’t the ones holding the gold belts.
Self-Interest
In a selfish sport like prize fighting, Woodley has little interest in what the fans or his peers think. It is in his best interests to avoid tough fights. He’s better served seeking the easiest fights possible with the biggest financial upside. The Rory MacDonald and Jake Shields fights show exactly why. While Woodley may feel this way, the true fans of the sport crave competition. So do the fighters looking up at him with such contempt right now. Robbie Lawler was unquestionably a champion of the people. He fought whomever the UFC asked of him. No ifs or buts – he simply signed on the dotted line and went to war.
Lawler earned the type of respect that Woodley, it seems, will never have the privilege of enjoying. Lawler was consoled by the entire MMA world when he lost his championship. When the time comes and Woodley eventually gets usurped, you can be guaranteed that sympathy will be in short order. If he fails to earn his championship stripes with his next fight – it certainly won’t be coming from this writer.
The UFC’s big decision will make or break their welterweight division and the hopes and dreams of its fighters. It will determine whether or not many spend a further penny on their brand ever again. I will await their decision in due time. UFC 204 or UFC 205 seem to be the events being banded about for the first title defence. GSP, the Diaz Brothers, or the number one contender – Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. UFC – the ball is in your court.
