There’s been quite a bit of shuffling going on at the welterweight division behind the scenes, with Dana White going from suggesting that Kamaru Usman might leapfrog Colby Covington for the title shot, to apparently offering to match them up against each other instead.
When asked about the next title fight at welterweight, the UFC President couldn’t help but take another shot at the current champ, Tyron Woodley.
“Tell me when Woodley does want to fight. This is always an issue with Woodley. We’re going to move on,” White told TSN. “That division is stacked, we’ve got a lot of good talent
“Whether Woodley fights or not, we’ll end up making a fight with some of the best guys in the division,” he said. “Could be (an interim title).”
Woodley impressively beat the heavily marketed Darren Till just three months ago. He also just had hand surgery after dislocating his thumb and tearing three ligaments on that same bout.
Woodley has had five title fights in two years, which despite two surgeries, still makes him one of the most active champions in the roster.
On the other hand, bantamweight hasn’t had a new title contender since T.J. Dillashaw won the belt in 2017. He’s also leaving to fight in a different division that won’t be existing soon. Conor McGregor also never defended any of his titles, and it took them 511 days before stripping his lightweight belt, and 350 days for his featherweight belt.
And yet, for some reason, the person with the most title defenses in the UFC is the one holding up a division? Somehow three months is enough reason for White to threaten another interim title?
It’s obvious that Woodley isn’t White’s favorite champion, but it’s always weird to see how little it takes for the UFC President to take all these shots at the fighters he’s supposed to be promoting.
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