After coming up short in back-to-back title fights against current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley -- most recently at UFC 209 — Stephen Thompson is looking for a drastic change in style of opponent for his next outing.

To put it simply, he wants to face a striker who isn’t exactly known for his wrestling. And no one quite fits that description better than former division champion Robbie Lawler.

“I think me and Robbie Lawler, I think that’d be an awesome fight,” Thompson said during a recent interview on The MMA Hour.

For “Wonderboy,” the intrigue of going toe-to-toe with someone as aggressive as “Ruthless” is right up his alley, just like it would be if he could also secure fights with Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz.

“He’s a striker... even a Carlos Condit or Nick Diaz, just to give you something,” he added. “I love to stand there, I love to strike and I love to bang it out. With these guys, you don’t have to worry about the wrestling.”

“You don’t have to worry about the takedowns. They may try something, but they are not notorious for it. I think it would be really exciting, really fun to prepare for.”

Prior to Woodley knocking out Lawler at UFC 201, Thompson expressed his desire to face “Ruthless” in a title fight over Woodley; which promoted “The Chosen One” to dismiss the challenge altogether (see it again here).

Still, his wish to face Lawler hasn’t wavered.

“Robbie Lawler has definitely held the title for a long time, and I just hope he is healthy because you haven't heard a whole lot from him since the Tyron fight, not even Carlos Condit,” he said. “It’s the top five guys I’m looking at. I know Maia has got a fight with Masvidal and it’s been a while since Robbie has fought, so let’s get this thing going.”

As far as a potential bout against Gunnar Nelson, “Wonderboy” isn’t too keen on the matchup, saying “Gunni” isn’t on his radar given his rank and given the fact that the top 10 foes Nelson has faced have already defeated him.

Sorry, Gunnar.

Anyone feeling a potential standup war between Thompson and Lawler?