Tyron Woodley Calls Out Khabib Nurmagomedov at 165lb Catchweight

via fighter's Instagrams
via fighter's Instagrams

Tyron Woodley Believes He Can Beat Khabib

Khabib Nurmagomedov followers understand that the central mission of his career is to leave an undeniable legacy. Beating opponents like Conor McGregor have added to that legacy. Potentially facing foes like Georges St Pierre could cement the legacy of Khabib. But, Khabib hasn’t mentioned Tyron Woodley, who believes he is actually the best welterweight of all time.

The Hollywood Beatdown

Woodley has a working relationship with media outlet TMZ. The media outlet gave Woodley his own segment called The Hollywood Beatdown. Speaking on the show, he mentioned his desire to face Khabib. He also explained why he believes he has the recipe to defeat the undefeated lightweight champion.

“I want to fight Khabib,” said Woodley. “I got the best takedown defense in the history of the sport.

While it’s fine for Woodley to make such a statement, the actual statistics don’t support his viewpoint

via UFCStats.com
via UFCStats.com

Woodley Explains How and Why the Fight Works

Woodley actually has the fourth-best takedown defense of all time. Not bad, but certainly not number one. That spot is currently reserved for UFC bantamweight Jimmie Rivera. Jon Jones and Shane Burgos also edge out Woodley by a few percentage points but hey, who’s counting?

Woodley’s point is that the Eagle depends heavily on his chain wrestling and Tyron feels like he has the ability to stop it. Analyzing is something Woodley gets paid for, so it’s only right that offered the logistics on how the fight could happen.

“You know, the good thing about it is, he (only has) one or two more fights in that division that make sense for him. He struggles to make 155. I gotta get my belt back before this fight even makes sense,” said Woodley.

The reporter then asked Woodley if be believed Nurmagomedov would go up in weight to face the former welterweight champion.

“(He) doesn’t even have to come up,” said Woodley. “We can do it at a catchweight. (We can do it ) 165, I can barely make it but for the right bag (I would.)”

If The Fight Happened

If Woodley and Khabib were to fight, a few dominos would have to fall in the right direction first. Primarily, Nurmagomedov would have to feel like the fight improved his legacy. Secondly, fans would riot if Khabib finished his career without facing long-time rival Tony Ferguson. Lastly, if Khabib were to fight Tony, he’s expressed that his next and final fight would be against Georges St Pierre. A fight that Tyron has also wanted, but gave up on.

Woodley would have to hope that either one of those options fell through, or that Khabib’s father was wrong when he stated that Khabib would retire after winning 50 fights.

Either way, who would you choose in a matchup between Khabib and Woodley? Let us know in the comments below.

Published on September 15, 2019 at 9:33 pm
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