Tyron Woodley won't be the first wrestler with a big punch that Stephen Thompson has faced in the UFC.

On his road to UFC 205, the man they call "Wonderboy" scored highlight-reel first-round knockouts over decorated wrestlers Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger, as well as a dominant decision over master-of-all-trades Rory MacDonald. In doing so, Thompson showed that his distance control and takedown defense has evolved leaps and bounds since his lone career UFC loss four years ago, and Thompson now hopes to replicate that same successful gameplan against Woodley.

"He's definitely got some one-hitter quitter power, as you saw when he fought Robbie Lawler. Man, it took one shot," Thompson said of Woodley, the reigning UFC welterweight champion, ahead of UFC 205. "So obviously I want to stay away from that right hand, but he's not only a good striker, he's also a good wrestler.

"When I go out there, I definitely have to be on my P's and Q's, because not only can he hit you with a right hand, but he'll take you down as well. So, it's keeping my footwork, always moving, making it difficult for him to beat on my legs, and just trying to hit and move, man. That's the one thing I can do -- try and Muhammad Ali him. He's the champion for a reason, so I'm taking that into perspective and always be aware when I'm out there."

Thompson, 33, has lit the welterweight division afire over the course of his run to the top. An accomplished karateka, Thompson rides a seven-fight win streak into his title challenge against Woodley, which takes place Nov. 12 as part of the UFC's long-awaited entry into New York.

Thompson's is a run littered with flashy knockouts and one-sided decisions, so much so that some oddsmakers have actually tapped "Wonderboy" as more than a two-to-one favorite to defeat the incumbent champion. Several noteworthy fighters within the division have picked Thompson to win as well. But despite all of the hype that precedes him, "Wonderboy" knows that favorable words and predictions are ultimately only background noise that will do him little good once those cage doors close.

"I don't sit there and really look at that kind of stuff, or listen to that kind of stuff," Thompson said. "We're just focused on the fight, man, and that's all I'm worried about. There's a lot of fighters who actually think into a lot of that stuff, ‘oh man, I got this,' and they're slacking off in training. But not me, man. I'm ready for the best Tyron Woodley when I step out there Nov. 12. That's what I'm prepared for. So I block all of that stuff out and just focus on what I need to be doing."

In Woodley, Thompson faces a ferocious puzzle who became the first man in over a decade to knock out Robbie Lawler when he captured the belt with a two-minute destruction of the former champion at UFC 201. Woodley's rocket of a right hand was the big-money punch for him in that fight, but "T-Wood" also has the wrestling pedigree of a two-time All-American to fall back on, and Thompson is confident that Woodley will look to take the fight to the floor early and often during their match.

"I think everybody I step out there with is going to want to take me down eventually," Thompson said. "I've been working my wrestling tremendously. Chris Weidman and Olympic wrestler Matt Miller have been coming down to help me with my camp ever since the (Patrick) Cote fight, and just improving on it every day.

"I feel like I came into the game fairly late in 2010, but man, I've made leaps and bounds with my takedown defense. Every time I step out there, I expect to get taken down, but I'm ready for it and I'll pop right back up, man, and get the fight where I want to keep it, and that's standing."

In truth, this has all happened quickly for Thompson. The former full-contact kickboxer traded in the ring for the cage in 2010 after accruing an undefeated 57-0 record between amateur and professional kickboxing fights. That success translated swiftly to mixed martial arts, as Thompson was signed by the UFC just two years into his MMA journey. And now, just a few years later, he finds himself on the precipice of once again being crowned the best in the world in his respective sport, on a stage that many believe could be the biggest in UFC history.

"This is definitely a dream come true, man," Thompson said. "I went to my first UFC show, I was actually like 12 years old and I think it was UFC 2. It was in Charlotte, North Carolina. My dad took me to that. I told myself then that, hey man, I'm going to be fighting for the UFC one day.

"Now the fact that I'm actually going to be fighting for the title, it's a dream come true. Not only that, being in the first show in Madison Square Garden, but also fighting with one of my best friends and brother-in-law Chris Weidman, I'm all smiles, man. I'm super excited to step out there and just experience that Octagon and share it with champions and a family member now."