Galvao Fight a Step ‘In the Right Direction’ for Woodley
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Undefeated welterweight Tyron
Woodley (pictured left) has passed every trial with which he
has been presented in his mixed martial arts career, but on
Saturday at the HP Pavilion, he faces his toughest test to date in
Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Andre
Galvao.
The matchup will be the first bout to air on Showtime, as Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Noons 2” goes live at 10 ET/7 PT. Woodley said at Thursday’s press conference that he is prepared for wherever the fight may go.
“I'm feeling good,” said Woodley. “He’s a tough opponent. I’ve been
preparing for the fight, and I think it’s a chance to step up, to
really show people what I can do.”
Woodley made his Strikeforce debut in 2009, defeating Sal Woods by first-round submission. Since then, he has been fighting in the smaller Challengers series, reeling off three straight victories. Woodley faces a significant step up in competition in Galvao. For the former University of Missouri wrestler, the fight comes down to preparation and versatility.
Another key for the American will be to avoid any disadvantageous entanglements if the fight hits the floor.
“I think to just immediately jump into his guard -- which is going to his best position -- probably wouldn’t be the best scenario,” said Woodley. “But getting it to the ground under control and under my terms [is important], because some submissions you can only do from the full guard, half guard, side position, etc. So as long as I’m aware of those submissions, I’ll be in a good place to stop him [from applying them]. He’s really crafty at what he does, so I just want to keep him out of his game and impose my will.”
If at all possible, Woodley will try to avoid being taken down by the multiple-time world champion jiu-jitsu player. To counter the Brazilian’s takedown attack, the American Top Team product intends to use angles to movement to his advantage.
“He has to take me to the ground before he can use that guard,” said Woodley. “So I'll be using angles to try to negate or deny his takedowns. And if [he gets me down], I’m going to immediately get back up. And if I don’t immediately get up, I’ll be controlling hands, controlling him and getting back to my feet as soon as possible. If I’m on top, it’s about controlling position. I’ll use a few hits to get inside, to get to his half guard. I’m gonna keep him out of his strengths and just try to wear him down for 15 minutes straight.”
Similar to Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman, Woodley recently expressed some frustration with being relegated to the Challengers series. He also made public his displeasure with the number of fights per year he was receiving.
“It’s not so much displeasure with the organization,” said Woodley. “But as a fighter, you want to be busy. You know, opportunities didn’t present themselves, or the timing wasn’t right, or I was fighting on the undercard when I had been on TV previously. This is a business, man. You can’t just say, ‘OK, I’ll fight this guy on two day’s notice on the undercard where nobody is going to see it.’ If you want to be a champion, people have to see you. I think this is a step for me in the right direction, so I’m going to go ahead and do my thing, and I hope I can get another fight at the end of this year and then have three or four next year.”
One fact to keep in mind is that Woodley, 28, only has six professional fights to his credit and is still evolving. If the Missourian puts on a strong showing against Galvao, he will move one step closer to having his name thrown into the welterweight title picture.
The matchup will be the first bout to air on Showtime, as Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Noons 2” goes live at 10 ET/7 PT. Woodley said at Thursday’s press conference that he is prepared for wherever the fight may go.
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Woodley made his Strikeforce debut in 2009, defeating Sal Woods by first-round submission. Since then, he has been fighting in the smaller Challengers series, reeling off three straight victories. Woodley faces a significant step up in competition in Galvao. For the former University of Missouri wrestler, the fight comes down to preparation and versatility.
“My setup, wrestling and grappling are all a lot better,” he said.
“I think you’re going to see me put it all together: standing,
takedowns and faking takedowns and coming over the top.”
Another key for the American will be to avoid any disadvantageous entanglements if the fight hits the floor.
“I think to just immediately jump into his guard -- which is going to his best position -- probably wouldn’t be the best scenario,” said Woodley. “But getting it to the ground under control and under my terms [is important], because some submissions you can only do from the full guard, half guard, side position, etc. So as long as I’m aware of those submissions, I’ll be in a good place to stop him [from applying them]. He’s really crafty at what he does, so I just want to keep him out of his game and impose my will.”
If at all possible, Woodley will try to avoid being taken down by the multiple-time world champion jiu-jitsu player. To counter the Brazilian’s takedown attack, the American Top Team product intends to use angles to movement to his advantage.
“He has to take me to the ground before he can use that guard,” said Woodley. “So I'll be using angles to try to negate or deny his takedowns. And if [he gets me down], I’m going to immediately get back up. And if I don’t immediately get up, I’ll be controlling hands, controlling him and getting back to my feet as soon as possible. If I’m on top, it’s about controlling position. I’ll use a few hits to get inside, to get to his half guard. I’m gonna keep him out of his strengths and just try to wear him down for 15 minutes straight.”
Similar to Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman, Woodley recently expressed some frustration with being relegated to the Challengers series. He also made public his displeasure with the number of fights per year he was receiving.
“It’s not so much displeasure with the organization,” said Woodley. “But as a fighter, you want to be busy. You know, opportunities didn’t present themselves, or the timing wasn’t right, or I was fighting on the undercard when I had been on TV previously. This is a business, man. You can’t just say, ‘OK, I’ll fight this guy on two day’s notice on the undercard where nobody is going to see it.’ If you want to be a champion, people have to see you. I think this is a step for me in the right direction, so I’m going to go ahead and do my thing, and I hope I can get another fight at the end of this year and then have three or four next year.”
One fact to keep in mind is that Woodley, 28, only has six professional fights to his credit and is still evolving. If the Missourian puts on a strong showing against Galvao, he will move one step closer to having his name thrown into the welterweight title picture.
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