With all the canceled main events in recent memory, late replacements have become a part of the sport. That conversation was brought up early, and quite formerly by Kamaru Usman and his camp, who positioned themselves to step in for the main event should Tyron Woodley or Darren Till not make it to the fight. Woodley was quick to nip that conversation in the bud on his end, though, stating that he would not face Usman on short notice should Till miss weight. On the UFC 228 media conference call, he elaborated with an analogy on why such a request of him is inappropriate and illogical for this sport: (Via FloCombat):
“If it was basketball and you’re at the NBA Finals and they said, ‘You know what, the Golden State Warriors can’t make it tonight,” Woodley began. “We’re going to throw Cleveland in there.’ Yeah, they might be able to do it but they’re not punching each other in the face. It’s not a 6-foot-3 striker versus a 5-foot-11 wrestler.
“The mindset, the money, the time, the preparation that goes into preparing for a fighter—I’m pretty sure Darren Till don’t want to prepare to fight me and then all of a sudden, two seconds later, oh you’re fighting this guy.
“Some people want us to just be fighters, but this is not just fighting anymore. It’s a business. It’s entertainment,” Woodley said. “I’ll fight anybody, any time if it’s life or death. I think we all would. If I came and I grab your kid’s freaking backpack and try to throw them into a freaking car, I’d think you’re going to be ready to fight, too. So we don’t have to use that same mindset in our sport.”
Headed into Saturday’s blockbuster UFC 228 main event, Tyron Woodley is only focused on matters he can control. As for his opponent? In Woodley’s mind, Till’s weight is a non-issue, and the champion is moving forward as if there is no doubt about whether or not his opponent will make weight:
“We want to be professional,” Woodley said. “We want to be taken serious[ly]. I can’t control what’s going to go on, if he does make weight, if he doesn’t make weight ’cause at the end of the day that’s his responsibility. He’s the one who is a fighter and he’s the one who has to do what he has to do for his career. I’m focusing on myself.”
“I’m not paying attention to the Usman conversation,” Woodley said. “I’m really not paying mind to if [Till] misses or makes weight ’cause this is a big opportunity, so I would assume that he’ll want to seize the opportunity and come in at championship weight.”
Do you agree with Tyron Woodley? Is it unreasonable to expect a professional fighter to take on a last-minute replacement opponent?
