Mixed martial arts is a singular sport: One man or woman steps into the cage and attempts to best another in the art of hand-to-hand combat. It's a primal, brutal endeavor replete with the highs of victory and the gutters of defeat.

These conditions make the path a fighter chooses during their climb toward the biggest payday difficult to argue. Fighting is an unforgiving trade--it leaves a small window of opportunity, and the athletes who attempt to earn all they can are hardly to blame.

But far more fighters respect the divisional climb. These combatants believe the next spot in line is one that has been earned and should be honored.

So, who's right? The fighter who focuses on "money fights," or the fighter who believes in honoring the code of battle?

Everyone wants their shot in the fight game, but the meaning of that phrase comes in different shades depending on the vantage point.

The Tyron Woodley Conundrum

The current UFC welterweight champion is the perfect example of a fighter who wants the most bang for his buck inside the Octagon.

After suffering setbacks at crucial times during his rise, Woodley finally turned the corner and made a solid run at title contention in late 2014. The University of Missouri wrestling standout and former Strikeforce title contender rebounded from a stilted performance against Rory MacDonald to drub Dong Hyun Kim in the first round of their meeting two months later in China.

Woodley furthered his momentum by edging out Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 183 in January of 2015, and seemed keen on getting a title shot with the win. After defeating the Season 17 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," Woodley began to relentlessly campaign for a shot at welterweight gold.

But the biggest problem he faced was participating in one of the most competitive divisions under the UFC banner.

One month prior to Woodley's win over Gastelum, the welterweight strap changed hands as Robbie Lawler defeated Johny Hendricks to take the 170-pound crown. While Woodley wanted his chance to compete for the title, several other competitors were jockeying for the same opportunity.

Unfortunately for Woodley, those fighters also carried more clout in the heated title race.



Woodley was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit step in to face Lawler in bouts that would go down in the books as two of the greatest title tilts in the history of the division. Both fights were all-out scraps, which proved their worthiness.

At this point, Woodley not only continued to play the waiting game, but found it paid off. Woodley told FloCombat that UFC President Dana White wanted to see an immediate rematch between Lawler and Condit, but the reigning champion chose to give Woodley his shot instead.

Even though Lawler would debate this in the lead up to their showdown at UFC 201 on July 30, the champion was still looking to do what was right by giving the next man in line his proper due.



It would prove to be a disastrous decision, as Woodley leveled Lawler in the first round to become the new welterweight champion, securing his place as the best 170-pound fighter in the world. Woodley began to celebrate the biggest accomplishment of his career, but no sooner had the sweat dried than MMA media and fans alike began talking about him facing Stephen Thompson in his first official defense.

Woodley deflected those requests by calling for bouts against Nick Diaz--a man who hasn't won a fight inside the Octagon since 2011--and Georges St-Pierre, a great former champion who walked away from the sport in December of 2013.

Thompson is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak and has found success in all but one of his nine showings under the UFC banner. The South Carolina product possesses the exact style Woodley struggles with--long and dangerous at range--and he's at a point of experience where he's toppled some legitimate competition.



Yet, there's no telling at this time if that fight is going to be on deck. Thompson has spoken out publicly, stating the fight with Woodley is one he wants more than anything, while Woodley has proclaimed the exact opposite.

Woodley has slighted Thompson not on his merit as a No. 1 contender, but on his draw in the pay-per-view realm, something he himself has not locked down in substantial fashion. Woodley certainly possesses all the tools--knockout power and on-camera charisma--but he's also smart enough to know fetching a huge name to face in his first defense would serve to catapult him to where he wants to be much quicker than fighting Thompson.

That's simply a fact, and one it's hard to argue with, but it wasn't all too long ago Woodley was in Thompson's position hoping the UFC would do the right thing.

Oh the merry-go-round, it spins in vicious circles.

The Old School Method of Taking All Comers

There are those at the highest level of the game in MMA who want to test themselves against the best the world has to offer.

Of this collective, Donald Cerrone and Eddie Alvarez come to mind. And where both have gone on record stating they only wish to fight the best on any given night, their old-school approach has come under fire in recent months.

Fellow scrap artist Nate Diaz derided Cerrone for lessening pay for all fighters by jumping into any and every matchup the promotion throws his way. And while it may have sounded odd coming from a fighter with an extensive track record and who has complained about not being paid to his value the way Diaz has, his recent career explosion following his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 196 makes him a man worth listening to.

Diaz fought and struggled for years to make any major traction toward a world title, but his no-nonsense approach endeared him to a passionate fan base. It was that chunk of spotlight which led him to be chosen to face the Irish superstar when dos Anjos fell out of his main event bout with McGregor at UFC 196.

Was it going to finally be Diaz's time to shine, or would McGregor notch another prominent name on his list and push the storyline surrounding him away from being a man who had been gifted favorable matchups on his rise to the top?

Diaz put on a career-defining performance and forever altered his bank account going forward, but that doesn't seem to be entirely appealing for fighters like Alvarez and Cerrone.



Every indicator points to Khabib Nurmagomedov getting his long-overdue shot at championship gold, and a quick glance at Alvarez's career reveals he's never been opposed to a worthy challenger getting their shot against him. He's fought everyone they've ever matched him up with in every promotion he's competed for, and there is something that deserves to be glorified in that where Alvarez is concerned.

Related: Eddie Alvarez 'I'm a Prizefighter' 

Alvarez should fight Nurmagomedov in his first official title defense no matter what happens at UFC 202. Win, lose or draw, McGregor has a belt to defend in the featherweight division, and we've already seen the chaos created by his insistence to chase the biggest paydays available.

Just as no one can really blame McGregor for putting a division on hold and trying to further his earning potential in a rigorous and brutal game, it cannot be overlooked either. Should Alvarez change directions and go the same route as the fighter he's currently been blasting in McGregor, there isn't too much he can be slighted for either.

Doing the right thing and keeping things moving benefits fighters up and down the divisional roster, but when has prizefighting ever been about anyone more than the man or woman laying it all on the line under the bright lights?