Tyron Woodley’s long-term goal is to surpass the likes of Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes as the greatest welterweight champion in UFC history. However, he doesn’t believe winning his UFC 214 fight with Demian Maia does all that much to help his cause.

Since winning UFC gold one year ago, Woodley (17-3-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) has pushed hard to get high profile fights with big names like St-Pierre and Nick Diaz, who would help raise his stock among the greats. He hasn’t had any of those wishes come true, though, and instead has defended his belt twice against Stephen Thompson before Saturday’s bout with Maia (25-6 MMA, 19-6 UFC).

Woodley, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, said he’s going to continue to pursue those names and opportunities, but knows getting through No. 5 Maia is an essential part of his quest.

“It’s one step, but it’s not a huge step to be honest,” Woodley said on Monday’s UFC 214 media conference call. “Obviously there’s a guy named Georges St-Pierre that’s out there talking about still fighting. There’s other welterweights like Nick Diaz, who is, in my opinion, a lineal top 10, top 5 welterweight. There’s other fights and other things that could make me the greatest welterweight.”

UFC 214 takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Woodley vs. Maia co-headlines the main card on pay-per-view following prelims on FXX and UFC Fight Pass.

Woodley, 35, said merely competing against his desired opponents isn’t going to be enough for his legacy to surpass that of a St-Pierre or Hughes, who combined for 16 total title defenses during their respective reigns. Woodley must win with some memorable flair, which is something that’s lacked since becoming champion.

“The way that I go out there and fight guys, I could open up a little bit more and let guys have it,” Woodley said. “I possess all the tools and all the skills and explosiveness and conditioning. Sometimes it’s the way I fight opponents that could get me in that position. I think this will be a step forward. It won’t be a huge, long jump, but it will be a step forward. And I’m in it for the long haul. I’m not trying to win two or three fights and get out of this. I’m trying to grow as a champion and grow into a superstar.”

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