Former UFC champion Tyron Woodley isn’t quite done with mixed martial arts. Woodley has never entered an octagon since losing in his last MMA bout in 2021. The fighter still plans to return to the world of MMA despite having gone on to compete in a few boxing contests.
Tyron Woodley recently admitted that he wasn’t entirely focused during his last few MMA fights. The fighter blamed the UFC APEX arena as the reason for his poor performances. However, the former champion has not closed the doors of competing in MMA.
The whole APEX arena deal is kind of wack, it’s like a sparring session… The cage was super small, and I just really wasn’t motivated to be in a fight, especially at that time. Those fights to me are like exhibition fights….I do believe the fans deserve to see me go out there…put a proper close to my MMA career. So, I’m planning for a big MMA fight.
Tyron woodley via Title Sports Net
Woodley stepped away from UFC after losing four fights in a row. It all started when he lost his UFC welterweight belt to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 and later to other contenders. Due to COVID-19, most of the UFC bouts took place inside the UFC APEX.
The APEX, situated in Las Vegas, is known for being smaller in size in comparison to other UFC octagons. Many other UFC Fighters have also shown their dissatisfaction with it in the past. As such, Woodley became the latest fighter to express his grievances.
Tyron Woodley wants to return to MMA, and blames his last few performances in the UFC on the “wack” APEX arena:
“To be honest, when I was fighting my last couple MMA fights it was just kind of like a simulation. The whole APEX arena deal is kind of wack, it’s like a sparring… pic.twitter.com/sYe0Nu2hca
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 20, 2024
After his time in the UFC, Woodley tried his luck with professional boxing. He went on to fight with Youtuber turned boxer Jake Paul on two occasions. Unfortunately for Woodley, he lost both the bouts and even got knocked out in the second showdown. Since then, the 42-year-old has stayed away from the fight business.
Tyron Woodley had a polarising relationship with the UFC Brass
After becoming the welterweight champion in 2016, Tyron Woodley defended his title four times in a row. However, during that period, the fighter had some friction with the UFC head honcho Dana White. The UFC CEO didn’t like Woodley’s cautious approach to the fight during his title defense against Demian Maia at UFC 214.
Dana White rips Tyron Woodley for a boring approach to the fight (via MMA Mania)At the post-fight press conference, White addressed media questions regarding the fight and had harsh words about Woodley. According to White, fans booed Woodley, which was a clear sign that they got bored and didn’t want to see him again.
When you get booed out of an arena, it means people don’t want to watch you fight…..you ask fans if they want to see Woodley fight again. I think that would be a flat-out no. The guy could have finished the fight at any time he wanted to but he didn’t wanna take the risk. You take no risk, you get no rewards.
Dana White via UFC 214 Press Conference
Rampage Jackson and Tyron Woodley reminisce on when they told Dana White about their injuries going into their separate fights, and then White would bash them at the post-fight press conference
Ex: Jackson vs. Bader in Japan
& Woodley vs. Maia at UFC 214 pic.twitter.com/UCDrTO2pEj— MMA Mania (@mmamania) September 21, 2023
After the incident, things got even worse, and Woodley also publicly complained about being mistreated and neglected by the promotion. The welterweight fighter also wanted Dana White to apologize to him for the remarks he made about Woodley’s fighting style. However, that never happened. As such, a return to the UFC for Woodley remains unlikely.
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