Tyron Woodley says reports of his MMA retirement have never matched his own plans.
The former UFC welterweight champion told MMA Junkie Radio that he never formally retired after his March 2021 loss to Vicente Luque. Woodley also said an MMA fight, two wrestling matches and a boxing appearance could all happen before the end of 2026.
“I never retired. I never retired. People just said I retired. You never heard me formally come out and retire or put my gloves down anywhere or even say the word retirement.”
“I never retired from MMA. I never closed that chapter. It’s actually quite the opposite. You may even see me fight MMA this year. You may see me wrestle twice, fight MMA and box.”
Watch the complete MMA Junkie Radio interview below.
Woodley Plans To Stay In Camp
Woodley acknowledged that the window for earning money through competition is narrowing. He said that reality is one reason to maintain a steady training schedule instead of repeatedly starting and stopping.
“I feel like I’m getting to the part where my body being used as a way to generate wealth is coming to an end. Like, I’m getting closer and closer to that moment. So I feel like the more I can stay in shape, the more I can just keep training, the better I’m going to be.”
He also identified the one combat-sports format he is not considering.
“So I’m going to just stay in camp, whatever that is, whatever combat it is. I’m thankfully blessed to be versed in many, many different forms of combat. I’m really open to doing any and all, minus bare-knuckle, and that leaves me with a lot of things to do.”
Woodley Explains Why Buckley Is Not A Warmup
Woodley faces Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12 before his scheduled RAF Moscow match with Khamzat Chimaev. He rejected the idea that preparing for both opponents means overlooking Buckley.
“No, you got to train for both at one time. And people looking at wrestling—it’s not fighting. Like, if you’re fighting somebody and you got two matchups scheduled to fight another guy after that, well, that’s like you’re assuming that you’re going to win that fight and you’re looking past the first person. In wrestling, we wrestle three times a day.”
Woodley said the attention surrounding Chimaev has caused some fans to underestimate the first matchup.
“Fans are overlooking Buckley because he don’t have the credentials as Chimaev, and also the big match in Russia. Going to Russia to wrestle Chimaev is going to get more headlines. But I feel like the style of wrestling is going to be strong, aggressive pressure. So I’m kind of getting ready for a similar genre of wrestling, but Khamzat is just a little bit more skilled.”
Buckley’s St. Louis Gym History Adds Stakes
Woodley also described an earlier connection between the two St. Louis fighters. According to Woodley, Buckley wanted rounds with him while the former champion was preparing for specific UFC title opponents.
“I feel like I’m going to be wrestling somebody with a little chip on his shoulder. He always was in my gym in St. Louis, and he wanted to spar with me and jump in on the go. But at that time I was just going against Wonderboy and, you know, Darren Till and Robbie Lawler. Those are very, very specific opponents.”
“I feel like his intention to spar me wasn’t to help me out and give me a push so I can win. It was to measure himself in how he stacked up against me. I feel like this is his chance to try to compete against me.”
Woodley said that history is part of his game-planning and warned against judging Buckley only by his wrestling résumé.
“Don’t take him lightly. Don’t look at his résumé and see what he hasn’t done. Like, when somebody wants to get one off on you, they’re going to come with a little extra fire. And I feel like that’s what it is. He’s younger. He’s explosive. He’s still in the hunt of the UFC roster.”
Woodley’s MMA and boxing plans are possibilities, not signed fights. His two RAF assignments are the immediate focus, beginning with Buckley. Buckley also remains attached to a UFC Edmonton main event against Mike Malott, while RAF continues to add crossover names such as Michael Page for RAF 14.
