UFC champ Tyron Woodley wants Nick Diaz fight at UFC 209: 'Let's get this money'

Stephen Thompson insists he will be next to challenge UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley for the belt. Woodley, however, appears to have other plans in mind.

Despite Thompson (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) claiming as recently as this past weekend that a rematch of his majority draw with Woodley (16-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) from UFC 205 is all but set, aside from the when and the where, the current 170-pound champion is seemingly not on the same page.

Woodley wants his next defense to come against former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who was recently cleared for a return to competition after settling an issue with the Nevada State Athletic Commission stemming from his most recent fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in January 2015.

“The Chosen One” mentioned his desire to fight Diaz after winning the belt from Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 in July. Following his epic content with Thompson that ended in a draw at UFC 205 in November, Woodley set his sights on the Stockton-born slugger once again.

Nick Diaz

Woodley, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, believes he beat No. 2-ranked Thompson at UFC 205, and that there’s no need for a rematch. UFC President Dana White said that would be the next title fight in the division, but Woodley is clearly trying to sway things in a different direction.

Despite the fact Diaz hasn’t fought in nearly two years, he is riding a three-fight winless skid and hasn’t earned an MMA victory since battering B.J. Penn to a unanimous decision at UFC 137 in October 2011. But Woodley knows the matchup would be a big seller.

Whether the UFC would entertain giving Diaz such an opportunity remains to be seen, but nevertheless, Woodley continues to push for it in hopes of making the fight happen for UFC 209, which takes place March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.