Tyron Woodley feels now is the perfect time for a showdown with Conor McGregor.
Woodley is coming off his first defeat since June 2014. The “Chosen One” had reigned as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title holder since July 2016, but Kamaru Usman ended his run with a stellar performance at UFC 235 earlier this month.
Woodley Takes Aim At McGregor
The former UFC welterweight champion spoke to TMZ Sports and made it clear that he wants a bout with McGregor next (via MMAFighting.com):
“I’d tell him, ‘Sit your ass down and fight Tyron Woodley at 170.’ We both just lost in a world title fight. You ain’t in no position to call no shots. You lost, you started a huge religious, culture war, you just got into some smoke by smashing a fan’s phone, you’re constantly in trouble, you constantly get passes. You get through Tyron and we’ll talk. I’m dead ass [serious]. I didn’t think about that until you just said it but I’m like, okay, he wants to fight Cerrone – never been a champion. He wants to fight Nate Diaz – never been a champion. He wants a rematch of Khabib immediately, so do I. I don’t look like I’m getting an immediate rematch so it looks like we dangling around Conor. Come get this smoke. Who makes sense for me to fight right now? I might as well fight Conor. Where you at Conor? Quit being a b*tch. Let’s fight.”
McGregor is also coming off a loss as he fell short in his bid to recapture the UFC lightweight gold against Khabib Nurmagomedov back in Oct. 2018. McGregor will be able to return to action next month following a suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). With that said, all signs seem to point to McGregor making a July return.
