Is Hendricks All That Stands in the Way of Woodley's Title Shot?

Tyron Woodley showed his crossover potential this year with the release of motion picture Straight Outta Compton, but the MMA fighter-turned-actor has every reason to stay focused on his primary discipline given his proximity to a title shot.

Ranked third in UFC's welterweight rankings, the only two men who stand in front of him outside the division's champion Robbie Lawler have already faced the 'Ruthless' one on two occasions—one of whom he will take on this weekend at UFC 192.

UFC just don't seem to like the idea of Johny Hendricks meeting Lawler for a third time. While many though the duo's trilogy bout would happen at UFC 189, instead Rory MacDonald was given a crack at the belt in arguably the most entertaining bout in welterweight history. And entertainment is a real issue, MMA has always played a dangerous balancing act between being a sport and being an entertainment business.

Even after Hendricks bounced back from his loss to Lawler with a concise decision victory over Matt Brown, Dana White seemed to point toward a lack of excitement in the contest that saw the Oklahoma native wrestle and ground and pound his way to victory.

"I'm happy for Johny. Johny has come off a rough, I guess we'll call it a couple years. But I didn't love the fight. Didn't love it," said White after the UFC 185 contest.

White also outlined what he thought of putting Hendricks into another title bout after the Brown win, insisting that the former champion would fight rather than potentially sit out for two years waiting on a title shot.

"A lot of different things happen," White explained at the post-fight press conference of UFC 185. "I've seen guys say, 'hey, I want to sit out and wait for that belt,' and they don't end up fighting for that belt for two years. So we'll see what happens. It's usually not a really good decision, but sometimes it can work. If it works out, then it will. If not, I'm sure Johny will take the option to fight."

Carlos Condit is now penciled in to meet Robbie Lawler, and it seems Hendricks did "take the option to fight" given his UFC 192 meeting with Woodley. Speaking on the event's conference call, 'T-Wood' claimed that satisfying fans is not his primary goal, which might not be the most fruitful way to put him in line for a title date.

"This is the thing about fans, you're never going to satisfy them," he said. "I used to try to, I think some of us on the phone used to try to as well. At the end of the day you've got to be able to look in the mirror and know that you went out there and you've given the best that you can give and done the best that you can do in that fight."

Given the latest welterweight title matchups, although it seems unlikely given their standing in the rankings, UFC might not put either of the men into a championship tussle should their bout fail to deliver the goods on Saturday night.

Woodley, at his best, is one of the most devastatingly entertaining in the division. Sending Jay Hieron flying across the Octagon with an overhand right before annihilating him with grounded strikes, Woodley certainly turned a lot of heads with his promotional debut at UFC 156. Again, his right hand connected with Josh Koscheck's head like an articulated truck at UFC 167 in another spectacular effort that won him a 'Knockout of the Night' bonus. His most impressive finish might have come against Dong Hyun Kim last August. As the Korean launched himself into a spinning attack, the patented right hand of Woodley caught him right behind the ear and sent him face planting into the canvas. A few measured, grounded blows got the American the win and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus to boot.

However, for every exciting spectacle he has given us, Woodley has had some performances that haven't set the MMA world on fire. His approach in his losses to Jake Shields and MacDonald did not win over the masses, and even in his last win against Kelvin Gastelum Woodley didn't come across as a world-beater.

The result of UFC 195's welterweight title clash between Lawler and Condit could factor into his title hopes too. As the only person not to face the champion, another defense from his ATT stable mate Robbie Lawler might be in Woodley's best interest. Despite an injury forcing an end to his bout with Carlos Condit, the Albuquerque fighter also has things to resolve with Hendricks and MacDonald that could potentially obscure Woodley.

While there is no doubt that a win over the number one ranked welterweight in the world should guarantee Woodley a shot at the gold irrespective of his method of victory, historically speaking UFC have always been more inclined towards fighters with a flair for excitement. So not only does Woodley need to win on Saturday night, he needs to win impressively.