Tyron Woodley has been waiting for his turn on fight for a title for the last three months. However, there’s actually no telling if he will indeed get the chance because circumstances change and when MMA fighters lose, they almost always want a rematch right after.
“Even before the fifth round, the way that the fight was going, I already was thinking, ‘goddamnit, they’re about to do this fight again. We are in the era of the rematch. People want to see a rematch every other weekend. How many rematches have you seen? In this situation, unfortunately, (there’s) a little bit of damn controversy. But there’s more variables than just that. Carlos Condit is mentioning retiring, so there’s two ways that could go. He could retire and then it’s obvious who’s fighting next — this man right here — or he can go up to Dana White and be like, ‘hey man, if I don’t fight my fight for the title, I’m going to retire.’ And what do you think they’re going to do? They’re going to line his pockets and they’re going to make it happen,” Woodley said.
The UFC announced that Woodley would be the next contender for the MMA welterweight belt and go against the winner no matter what happens. Now that UFC 195 has been tagged as one of the greatest event held by the promotion, even though it is being bombarded by controversies, Woodley is now not sure if the fight promised to him will actually come to fruition.
“For me, this is my year, man. You can delay, but you cannot deny. I need to make the t-shirt, that is going to be my mantra for the entire year. I will be the world champion and I am the best in the world. Watching that fight, I was inspired, but also I had the pen and notepad there and I saw a lot of opportunities where I would’ve seized the moment, where I would’ve not engaged into that freaking all-out brawl. I know you guys love watching it, but Carlos Condit could’ve found a way to get into a clinch, chop some elbows and knees, bring Robbie close to him and avoid letting him win that (fifth) round.”
The UFC has still yet to decide if Woodley would indeed get the chance that he was promised, or if Condit will be the one to fight the champ first before anyone else.
“What if I (fight Matt Brown and) slip on the banana peel that Carlos Condit slipped on when we fought and then I’m out of the fight?. Does he jump ahead and fight for a world title having never defeated a top-10 guy? Do I fight Demian Maia and it’s a wrestling-fest that nobody enjoys watching? Nobody wants to see me do another Jake Shields fight. That’s the risk that I put myself into. I would rather preserve my body, stay in shape, stay mentally sharp, be prepared, and get the world title fight and seize the moment. The money comes with the champion’s belt. That’s no hidden secret. I’m trying to change my family’s life. I ain’t trying to just keep collecting checks and a few months later scrape again. I’m trying to secure longevity for my family, wealth for my family. I’m trying to leave a legacy. The goal is to be a champion, it’s not to be a contender. So these are contender fights. I feel like I’ve done enough to have already fought for the world title before, so why should I have to do more?” Woodley added.