Wonderboy: UFC offering Nick Diaz a title shot is 'bullcrap'

Stephen Thompson would spare himself a lot of frustration if he removed "meritocracy" from his lexicon.

Before "Wonderboy" was booked to face welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a rematch at UFC 209, the promotion had reportedly offered Nick Diaz a meeting with the titleholder, much to Thompson's chagrin. The challenger had won seven straight before fighting Woodley to a majority draw this past November, while Diaz hasn't had his hand raised since 2011, leaving Thompson vexed that the UFC even entertained tapping the Stockton scrapper to fight Woodley before him.

"I wasn't aware of that at all. (That the UFC offered Nick Diaz a fight with Tyron Woodley for UFC 209)," Thompson told BJPenn.com's Chris Taylor. "I knew there was rumors floating around but yeah I think that is crap. It's just bogus. I mean here is a guy (Diaz), he has a name yes, but he hasn't fought in how long? You know. I mean his last fight was Anderson Silva well over a year ago and so that is just bullcrap. I just think that kind of thing is just crap man."

Diaz's last victory came in the form of a lopsided decision over BJ Penn back at UFC 137. The 33-year-old then fell to Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre before his unanimous decision loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 183 was overturned to a no-contest when Silva tested positive for steroids. Diaz hasn't fought since, although he became the target of Woodley's campaign for a hefty payday moments after "The Chosen One" knocked out Robbie Lawler to win the strap at UFC 201.

While he can still turn any card he graces into a blockbuster, Diaz's two years away from the Octagon have cost him a few spots in the welterweight pecking order - at least in Thompson's eyes.

"Nick's last win was against BJ Penn and that was so long ago. So I don't know what the UFC is playing at. But it is definitely kind of disappointing. I mean to hear that now that he was actually offered a title shot against Tyron. Come on. The thing is there are a lot of guys way more deserving. Like even if I didn't get the fight, there is a lot of guys way more deserving than Nick Diaz. Guys like a Demian Maia. Who should definitely have been the one getting the opportunity if it wasn't me. So yeah not Nick. That kind of thing is just annoying."

Thompson gets his second crack at Woodley on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.