Tyron Woodley Eyes Early 2018 Return After Successful Surgery

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley hasn’t competed since scoring a decision victory over Demian Maia this past July at UFC 214, and it appears as if he’s going to be sidelined longer, as he recently underwent successful shoulder surgery in South Florida.

“I had orthoscopic surgery on my right shoulder,” Woodley told TMZ. “My shoulder was beat up a lot more than what they thought. I had bone spurs in there. They had to tack down my labrum and clean out some other stuff. I’m going to come back as the bionic man.”

“The Chosen One” also explained why he decided to have the surgery in South Florida:

“The reason I came (to South Florida) is Dr. (James) Andrews,” Woodley said. “He’s very, very famous for the shoulder surgery, and also the Tommy John surgery to the elbow. He’s supposed to be the No. 1 surgeon in the country for these types of injuries. I came out here for that purpose alone.

“With the stem cell and (platelet rich plasma injections), the new technology and science, I’m going to be fighting in the first quarter of next year. In two months, I’ll be punching something.”

As far as who he’ll fight upon his return, Rafael dos Anjos appears to be the No. 1 contender in the 170-pound division, as he’s won three-straight, while most recently dominating former welterweight titleholder Robbie Lawler.

Woodley, however, hasn’t been impressed by the Brazilian:

“I wasn’t too impressed with him, to be honest,” Woodley said. “… Would I be open to fighting him? Yeah. But is he the top fighter on my list? No.”

Who would you like to see Woodley face next?