What exactly happened to the prime Tyron Woodley?
In his heyday, Woodley ruled the welterweight division with an iron fist from 2016 to 2018. However, that would change as top contender Kamaru Usman dominated the UFC Champion over the distance in March 2019. That would begin a downward spiral for Woodley, who would lose his next 5 fights in the Octagon and the ring.
Woodley Says He ‘Mentored’ Usman & Covington
One of those defeats would be to Colby Covington, somebody that ‘The Chosen One’ chose to give career advice to, alongside Usman… Reflecting on his career decline, Woodley says he wasn’t the same after mentoring his former foes.
“I wasn’t training any less, I wasn’t any less focused. Maybe not as motivated, just because the bullsh*t,” Woodley told MMA Junkie (h/t: LowKick MMA). “It didn’t even make my temperature rise. Most guys I was fighting, like Usman and Colby, I mentored those guys. I’ve got the text messages to prove it. ‘How should I do this, and who should I fight, and how does it feel to be a champion?”
Woodley said he was ‘going through the motions’ following this.
“These guys was like my pupils at one point in time. So the threat of fighting never really made my stomach bubble. I was going through the motions for a minute.”
Not having won since 2018, Tyron Woodley wants redemption. The former UFC Welterweight Champion is looking for a fight in the boxing ring next, with no opponent lined up just yet.
