Former UFC champion Tyron Woodley remains optimistic about his combat-sports future after back-to-back losses to Jake Paul in the boxing ring.
Woodley fell short of revenge against the always-polarizing Paul, getting hit by a powerful right hook that sent him collapsing to the canvas in round 6. It was a relatively uneventful fight to that point, with both fighters appearing hesitant to push the action and seeming hell-bent on working in the clinch.
Many fans in the combat sports community quickly wrote Woodley off following the knockout loss, but he remains forward-thinking ahead of the new year. During his post-fight press conference, Woodley encouraged fans not to forget his name just yet.
“I’m not done. Please don’t look at me with [sad] eyes,” Woodley said. “Please don’t look at me shaking your head. I done fucked a lot of people up. And a lot of people had to have that talk in the locker room, a lot of coaches had to go back to the drawing board, a lot of people in their mind, they knew that they knew that they knew. And I saw it in their face and it broke their heart when I took that from them.”
While Woodley was upset with the result in the rematch against Paul, he feels he’s in a great position to bounce back.
“I can’t cry over spilled milk,” Woodley continued. “I’m blessed to be here, and I’m blessed for an opportunity to fight again and show you guys that I’m fuckin’ still here. And I told my coaches in the back: I said, ‘He back. The young, hungry bull that started and went on this crazy run in the UFC, and Strikeforce, and all these different organizations: he was back. And I can actually say that I was back.”
Tyron Woodley Has Teased An Active Year In 2022
Woodley’s comments come after he’s spoken about his plans in moderation for 2022. He’s hinted at a potential return to MMA, as well as boxing, as he approaches his 40th birthday.
Woodley was released by the UFC following four-straight losses in the Octagon. Beginning with losing his welterweight title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235, he arguably looked like a shell of his former self in additional bouts against Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington.
Before taking the Paul rematch on short notice, Woodley had allegedly been working towards a boxing return in January. Former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy had reportedly been on a small list of potential opponents for his next fight.
It’s unclear what exactly is next for the former UFC champion, but Woodley seems hell-bent on continuing to compete in multiple aspects of fighting moving forward.
What do you think should be next for Tyron Woodley?
