The UFC provides its fighters with a global platform. Over the years, several fighters have used it fruitfully to boost their stature in the world. In the last few years, the ‘Three African Kings’ – Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman, and Francis Ngannou – have stood out among others. Recently, former UFC fighter and BLM activist Tyron Woodley expressed his opinion on Adesanya and Usman’s African heritage.
During a recent podcast episode, Tyron Woodley didn’t hold back from criticizing two former African UFC champions. He branded both Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya as fake and accused them of ignoring their African heritage until they became champions. Moreover, Woodley alleged they used it as a convenient ploy to boost their popularity.
I don’t really f*ck with Izzy, he’s fake. He was New Zealand, and all of a sudden now he’s Wakanda. Izzy and Usman are conveniently African. After he beat me, they didn’t raise up Usman, they raised up Africa… They never spoke about their African heritage and were never so proud of it…
Tyron Woodley via Overdogs Podcast
Interestingly, Adesanya, Usman, and Ngannou were hailed as the ‘Three African Kings’ for simultaneously dominating three UFC divisions. However, the current middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, stirred a controversy a few months back. Per Du Plessis, he believed that he would be the first UFC champion to be born, raised, and still living in Africa.
The statement was indirectly aimed at Adesanya and Usman, who have all relocated abroad despite being born in Africa. Similar to DDP, Woodley also shares this view. Per ‘T-Wood’, both ‘Izzy’ and the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ only exploit their African heritage, without fully embracing it.
Woodley has often voiced his opinions on controversial topics. One of his press conferences during the COVID-19 period went viral due to a unique way of raising awareness among the general public on a serious issue.
When Tyron Woodley had the same answers for everyone at a presser
Throughout his illustrious career, Woodley has defeated numerous formidable opponents in the promotion. However, his trajectory in the UFC drastically declined after losing his belt to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235. Despite this setback, Woodley was an activist throughout his career and often stood up for what he believed was right.
One notable instance was during the COVID-19 pandemic when he supported a social cause. Before his main event bout at UFC Vegas 11 fight night, Woodley showed up wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt along with a hat emblazoned with the words “Make Racists Catch the Fade Again.” Through this, T-Wood seemingly wanted to raise awareness for the black community.
Remember when Woodley answered every question at his media day with “Black Lives Matter” then got dominated by Colby ☠️ pic.twitter.com/SVUWN8ObTz
-Advertisement-— Casual MMA (@CasualMMAinc) November 30, 2023
Woodley consistently emphasized the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in response to all questions during the press conference. However, T-Wood has since retired from the MMA circuit. Nevertheless, he continues to raise awareness through various podcasts.
