There's no way to go but up for No. 8-ranked UFC Welterweight Stephen Thompson.
After notching his fifth-straight victory inside the Octagon, Thompson was linked to a bout with surging contender Neil Magny, but after the latter took a contest on short notice, "Wonderboy" signed on to face former 170-pound champion Johny Hendricks at the UFC 196 pay-per-view (PPV) in Feb. 2016.
No disrespect to Mr. Magny, who's a quality combatant in his own right, but a shot at gold is quite important for Thompson and he has the best chance of getting there by dispatching "Bigg Rigg."
"He's been in five-round fights with Robbie Lawler just taking shots, so I know he's a tough guy," Thompson told MMAmania. "Hopefully after this fight with Johny Hendricks I'll be up for the title."
Thompson's not at the top of the mountain just yet, but if the improvements in his mixed martial arts (MMA) skills are any indication, he's more than ready to take a step up in competition.
A formerly undefeated kickboxing star, Thompson made waves in his UFC debut by flooring Dan Stittgen with a head kick in Feb. 2012. Since then, the 32-year-old has compiled five more wins (three finishes), compared to just one loss.
Thompson's lone slip up came at the hands of pressure fighter Matt Brown.
"I learned a lot during the Matt Brown fight. I think I'm a different fighter than I was then, but I'm blessed to be where I'm at," Thompson said.
Though he was the more accurate of the two, Thompson was taken down five times by "The Immortal" and ground control time can be very precious.
We've seen it before, a highly touted striker debuts in UFC, but has his strengths negated by the gritty wrestler.
Determined to not let his tenure in the promotion be short lived, Thompson made sure to work on his takedown defense and the results speak for themselves.
Now a perfect 5-0 since his letdown against Brown, Thompson rolls into his blockbuster pairing with the four-time All-American wrestler Hendricks off of a highlight-reel knockout of Jake Ellenberger last July.
The win was important for multiple reasons, including the fact he outworked the veteran of 40 professional fights in grappling exchanges.
"Everyone wants to see an exciting fight and a spectacular knockout," Thompson said, adding. "I like that because fighters don't think too much about my wrestling or jiu-jitsu. That's what Ellenberger did; he tried to take me down and I ended up reversing it on him and using both against him."
Hendricks is a much higher hill to climb than Ellenberger and Thompson knows it.
The Oklahoma State University alum fought in three-straight title tilts between 2013-14.
Hendricks has literally faced it all in the cage, and has been tagged, taken down and beaten by the very best like Georges St. Pierre and Robbie Lawler.
But perhaps, there's one thing he's gotten away from and that's landing his looping overhand left, which became his signature punch on his way up the Welterweight ranks.
It's really all part of his master plan, and it's hard to fault him when his unparalleled wrestling has yet to be halted.
However, every battle starts on the feet and Thompson isn't going to get lazy under the bright lights inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
"I figure here's a guy, who's in the way of my goal and I'm going to treat him as I do everyone else. I don't let the hype of people get to me," Thompson said. "I know I have a longer reach than he does, but he's very fast. I have to make him swing and miss and counter off of that."
Stay with MMAmania.com as more fights become official for the UFC 196 card.