Sign of the times: Woodley looking to swerve Wonderboy for a ‘moneyweight’ fight

SO we have yet another UFC world champion. Tyron Woodley’s one-hitter quitter on Robbie Lawler meant the St Louis fighter became the SEVENTH new UFC champion in 2016.

And after sitting on the sidelines patiently waiting for his title shot at UFC 201, it seems he’s quite happy to inflict a similar wait on the most deserving contenders in the welterweight division.

That’s because he wants to become the newest member of a new division created by Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz earlier this year – the ‘moneyweight’ division.

After his thumping KO win over Lawler, a victorious Woodley donned a set of FOX Sports headphones and chatted with the studio panel in the States to chew over his win and discuss his next move.

And when panelist – and number-one welterweight contender – Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson issued perhaps the politest challenge (it was more asking for permission than an actual call-out) in UFC championship history, Woodley shrugged it off like a bad takedown attempt.

New champ Woodley isn’t interested in facing the top contender next. And I guess that means a rematch with Lawler and even a battle between the winner of the upcoming Carlos Condit-Demian Maia bout will have to sit on the back burner, too.

That’s because Woodley has his sights set on moneyweight fights with the returning Nick Diaz (now free to compete again after his laughably draconian suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission) and the potentially-returning Georges St-Pierre.

Following the huge financial success of McGregor’s bout with Diaz – and the subsequent booking of a rematch at UFC 202 – the door has been opened for fighters to pursue fights in a brand new division – the ‘moneyweight’ division.

In fight sports, if it makes dollars, it makes sense, and McGregor v Diaz was a box office hit. It will be again in a fortnight’s time.

But it has also set a dangerous precedent that, if not checked, could result in the UFC’s championships becoming little more than promotional baubles rather than symbols of the sport’s elite.

While these big-money superfights offer additional intrigue and excitement, they should be an addition to big title fights, not a replacement for them.

That’s why it’s crucial that McGregor faces Jose Aldo later this year or vacates his title, and it’s also why a fight between Woodley and Wonderboy is more important to the integrity of the UFC as a sporting league than a fight with GSP. After all, GSP could fight the bin man and still draw at the box office.

I don’t subscribe to the suggestion that Woodley is ducking Wonderboy. He simply wants to make hay while the sun shines and bag himself the biggest possible payday as quickly as possible. McGregor has opened the door to a moneyweight division and, if Woodley can bag himself a lucrative bout, why shouldn’t he?

But while chasing these moneyweight fights is all well and good, I think these types of contest should be limited to bona-fide superfights, and right now this one doesn’t fall into that category.

Make no mistake, Woodley is good. VERY good. But he hasn’t cemented his legacy yet. In fact, winning the belt is really just the beginning for him.

Successful title defences against the likes of Thompson and a decisive, clear victory over former victim Condit (who succumbed to an early injury in their first meeting) would raise ‘The Chosen One’s’ stock significantly and make a bout with GSP or Nick Diaz a far more appealing prospect.

He may have the belt, but right now a Woodley v GSP fight will only be about one man, and it won’t be the champ.

If, however, Woodley went into the bout as an all-conquering, dominant destroyer of men, that matchup then becomes a superfight. And that’s surely what these moneyweight fights should really be about, otherwise what’s the point?

I understand his thinking, but right now I want to see Woodley v Wonderboy, not Woodley v GSP.

As for Diaz, there’s an open goal staring the UFC in the face. Match him with Lawler and give us the sort of rematch that can headline a card, even without a title belt.

Saturday Night Takeaways: Looking back at UFC 201

• Cool cat Karolina Kowalkiewicz looked like she was waiting for a bus, rather a fight, ahead of her co-main event contest with Rose Namajunas. She won with a fine performance and could well be Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s next opponent. Pole versus Pole – that title fight surely has to happen in Europe…
• Nikita Krylov’s head-kick finish of Ed Herman lands with an audible crack into the knockouts of the year shortlist, but it still doesn’t quite trump Brit Scott Askham’s phenomenal finish of Chris Dempsey back at UFC London in March. Walk-off head-kick KOs really don’t get much better than this

• All kudos to Jake Ellenberger, who convinced UFC president Dana White to give him one more shot after a terrible run of form. He was handed a horrible matchup in Matt Brown, but managed to produce a brilliant performance to stop ‘The Immortal’ and keep his UFC career alive
• Ross Pearson is gunning for that ‘Most Active Fighter in 2016’ tag after his fight at UFC 201. His defeat to Jorge Masvidal was his FOURTH outing of the year already. Fingers crossed the Brit’s fifth outing comes with a win bonus…

And finally…

Nate Diaz joined forces with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel to prank some Conor McGregor fans* ahead of their big rematch at UFC 202 later this month.

Call me a cynic, but don't you think these 'fans' looked a little too much like stand-in actors than actual MMA fans? Their reactions to Diaz just didn't . look that natural to me.

Take another look and judge for yourselves.

Simon Head is The Sun's MMA reporter. Follow him on Twitter @simonhead