Tyron Woodley Eyes Usman, Covington Fights Before Middleweight Jump
Tyron Woodley is approaching his return to the Octagon. “The Chosen One” claims he’ll fight before the year is up as he strives to regain the welterweight title he once held.
Woodley comes off a unanimous decision loss to Kamaru Usman earlier this year in which he dropped the 170-pound title. He’s kept busy with his music and entertainment career on the side, but still has the desire to be the best mixed martial artist in the world. Speaking at a fan Q&A in Canada, Woodley laid out his plans for a return.
He’s hoping for fights with Colby Covington, a rematch – and trilogy – with Usman, before jumping up to middleweight. (H/T MMA Junkie)
“Obviously it’s going to be a lot of emotion in the Colby Covington fight. It’s going to be a lot of emotion in the (Kamaru) Usman fight,” Woodley said. “But outside of those two fights in that division, those are the ones that excite me the most, and after I get my belt and defend, if I fight Usman and beat him, I got to give him the rubber match.
“I can’t just say, ‘Nah-nah-nah, you can’t get me.’ I’ve got to give him a chance to get back out there and prove it. Then fighting Colby, obviously. Then I’m looking at 185 (pounds) after that.”
At this point in his career, Woodley is looking for fights that excite him. He’s still confused as to why he never received an immediate rematch for the title, but is ready to run through whoever necessary to get back to the championship.
“I just want fights that excite me,” Woodley said. “I want fights that are going to get me back to the title if it’s not an immediate rematch. When you look at a lot of fighters that are in similar situations as me, that had never defended, they were given instant rematches.
“And you’ve got to recognize that my deck of cards is my deck of cards. It’s not theirs. So whatever reason that fight wasn’t immediately rematched, I can’t cry over spilled milk. I’ve got to go out there and do what it takes for me to get back to the belt.”
What do you think about Woodley’s aspirations to fight Usman, Covington, and jump up to middleweight?
