Tyron Woodley Claims He Won't Fight Kamaru Usman if Till Misses Weight
Due to some high-profile fighter withdrawals this year in pay-per-view events, Ultimate Fighting Championship brass are finally listening to fans by implementing some contingency plans in an effort to save future fights, starting with UFC 228’s welterweight title fight between the champion Tyrone Woodley and his challenger, Liverpool’s Darren Till. Or so it seems.
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Woodley claims he won’t accept a last-minute fight against “The Nigerian Nightmare,” seeming to further cement the fan theory that the UFC only asked Usman to be a replacement because they are not confident Till will make weight.
Woodley appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to discuss his thoughts on his fight with Till and the potential of facing Usman should Till fail to make weight (via MMA Weekly).
“Me and Usman will fight at some point in time, and I’m with it,” Woodley said. “I’m with it. I’m with fighting him, I’m with fighting Mike Perry, all these dudes I respect. I like a person who brings true skill sets to the table and is a true fighter. I’m with it all day. But I’m not going to fight him on no 24 hours’ notice.
“I’ve been training for a six-foot-three striker, a southpaw. Not a five-foot-ten poor stand-up. Negative. I don’t do what I do the best because I wing s–t. I train, I prepare, I strategize. I break my opponent down to a molecule and I drown them. I leave them empty, I take away all their best gifts, and then I snipe them. I’m not going to switch it up in five minutes.
“I’m a world champion. I deserve proper notice. I deserve proper time to prepare and train for a world title that I worked so hard for. I’m not going to step in. I’m not that guy. Go grab f*****g Cowboy (Cerrone). I’m a professional, and I’m a champion. If he wants to fight me, it’s going to be on a full training camp. And I would gladly take him up on that offer.”
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