UFC 161 Results: 5 Fights for Tyron Woodley to Take Next

Tyron Woodley lost his second career fight at UFC 161, but thankfully for him, many fans will choose to forget the bout. It was not a good fight for Woodley, Jake Shields or the UFC.

Regardless, Woodley still came out on the losing end of the fight. He was zeroing in on joining the Top 10 of the UFC's welterweight division prior to UFC 161. Now he will need to work to regain that stature.

The welterweight division may be the deepest in the UFC, so Woodley has a lot of options for his next bout. How will the UFC bring him along?

Here are five possible fights for Woodley's next UFC bout.

Rick Story

Let's get right to one of the best options for Woodley's next opponent: Rick Story.

Story is also 2-2 in his last four, but more importantly, he at least has some cache in the division.

Both Story and Woodley are hard-hitting wrestlers who have shown a lot of promise. Pitting them against each other would determine which fighter deserves another significant bout in the division.

Woodley is the more decorated wrestler and the more athletic fighter of the two. However, Story has a way of making fights ugly. It would be a solid contest in the welterweight division.

Adlan Amagov

The UFC could also give Woodley a lesser known fighter in the hopes he will slowly rebuild himself after the poor performance. Enter Adlan Amagov.

Amagov is on a two-fight win streak after winning his UFC debut in April.

Woodley would be a decided favorite entering the bout and should be able to hone areas of his game that need improvement. Amagov is tough, and that will make Woodley work to win the fight.

All in all, Amagov is a solid fighter to help Woodley's development. The UFC would be well served to pull back the reins on Woodley and give him a lesser known fighter in his next bout.

Quinn Mulhern

In the same vein as Amagov, Quinn Mulhern is a solid choice for Woodley's next fight.

Mulhern had won three in a row before making his UFC debut against Rick Story. He lost by first-round TKO.

Mulhern's submission game will test Woodley if the fight hits the canvas, but if Woodley wants to keep the fight standing, it will allow him to work on his striking. That is the best possible outcome for the UFC.

Woodley still needs seasoning. He has improved greatly, but bringing him along slowly will make him a much better fighter for a longer period of time. Against Mulhern, Woodley has the chance to work on fixing his striking and becoming one of the most dangerous welterweights.

Kenny Robertson

Kenny Robertson also fought on the UFC 161 card, losing by decision.

This is a similar bout to the Quinn Mulhern option, but the timing works a bit better since Robertson and Woodley fought on the same card.

Robertson is 1-3 in his UFC career, but he isn't likely to be cut after UFC 161. He fought well enough, and the Submission of the Night at UFC 157 is still fresh in the eyes of many viewers. He will get at least one more fight inside the cage.

Time will tell if the UFC pits Woodley against a lesser opponent or throws him back into the deep end of the pool.

Loser of Robbie Lawler vs. Siyar Bahadurzada

Should the UFC force Woodley to sink or swim in the deep end of the pool, the best bet would be to toss him in against the loser of Robbie Lawler vs. Siyar Bahadurzada.

Lawler and Bahadurzada will meet at UFC on Fox 8 in July.

Lawler is currently ranked No. 9 in the division, but a loss would drop him out of the rankings.

A fight between Woodley and either Lawler or Bahadurzada would be a great contest. All three men have big power in their hands and love to use it. Woodley would probably go back to his wrestling against either man, but it is a fight that makes sense.

The UFC has a lot of options for Woodley; it just comes down to how the matchmakers want to handle the prospect from Strikeforce. Pitting him against Lawler or Bahadurzada would show that the UFC wants to continue to test him against the wolves of the division.