Almost immediately after he won the belt from Robbie Lawler at UFC 201, Tyron Woodley began fielding questions about his first title defense, including one that night from presumptive No. 1 contender Stephen Thompson, who on the post-fight show asked Woodley about a title fight in late 2016. Woodley's answer became a major talking point when he told "Wonderboy" that he should go fight Lawler because Thompson predicted Lawler would beat Woodley. In the aftermath, Woodley began to attract a lot of heat from fans for his disinterest in a Thompson fight in favor of a Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz "money fight.