It will have been 18 months since we last saw Tyron Woodley compete inside the Octagon when he takes on Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title this Saturday night at UFC 201.
But that doesn’t mean Woodley has been sitting by and letting the game pass him by.
“I don’t believe in ring rust,” said Woodley, during an appearance on UFC Tonight recently. “That’s if I was being rusty, not watching fights, not training, not staying in shape and not staying positive. You can’t charge that to my charge card. I’ve had a training camp.
“I’ve been working and training. I’ve been out of site and out of mind. I’ve got some things I’ve been working on.”
Woodley (15-3) scored his second straight win and fourth in his last five fights when he defeated Kelvin Gastelum last January. He’s also topped Dong Hyun Kim, Carlos Condit and Josh Koscheck around a decision loss to Rory MacDonald.
As for his opponent, Lawler is one of the hottest fighters in MMA. “Ruthless” has bested Condit, MacDonald and Johny Hendricks in recent memory.
“He might be red hot, but I’m ice cold. I’m a better fighter, better grappler, better wrestler, I’m a cleaner striker, I’m faster, I’m just as strong and I have just as much power,” he said. “If you think of skill sets, they are skills. Toughness isn’t a skill set. I have the toughness, the heart, a better skill set and in my mind, I’m a better fighter.”
