Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley put on an unexpectedly lethargic performance at UFC 235 against Kamaru Usman. Now nearly a week into being an ex-titleholder, he still is unable to specify what really happened to him.
“I haven’t really been able to pinpoint what happened,” said in his TMZ segment “The Hollywood Breadown. “The good thing about our sport is you get other opportunities to go back out there and get it back. I feel like after the resumé that I’ve had, the run that I’ve had, I had the longest streak, all these stats that were out.
“So when I fought, I felt good in the warm-up, I felt good in the walk to the day of the fight, I felt good in the locker room, felt good in the walk out, felt good when I slapped gloves with him. Something happened when we got close, and it was just like a draining moment that I can’t even explain.
“A lot of people say you have an out-of-body experience,” he continued. “I wanted to swing hard, but I couldn’t. I wanted to punch him, and I didn’t. I wanted to kick, I wanted to not move back, I knew he was trying to take me down. And when I watched a small clip (of the fight), I’m like ‘who the f—k is that? That ain’t me.’”
According to his head coach Din Thomas, “The Chosen One” would’ve been more motivated if the original plan to fight Colby Covington took place. Woodley, who has taken things personal between him and Covington, also agrees.
“I’m definitely f—king way less depressed that it’s not Colby. That motherf—ker might have to get his sh-t in the parking lot if he would’ve got it.”
Some people attribute Woodley’s loss last weekend to his extracurricular activities like his rap career. To this, he also has a response.
“What I say to those people is that the renaissance man was one person that did a lot of things average,” Woodley said. “That motherf—ker ain’t me. I’m not him. I do a lot of things exceptional because I’m an artist.
“I won’t apologize for being an artist, and I won’t sit on my gifts that God gave me, and I won’t not participate in other things because I’m a fighter. I fight three times a year. I’m a dad more, I’m an entrepreneur more, technically, I’m a musician more. I more songs than I do fights in the Octagon.
“When I do my training camp and I do my stuff, I’m very focused, I’m very in tune,” he continued. “But there are so many hours in a day. If you choose to play Fortnite and I choose to go make a song, that’s our choice and that’s our selection.”
As for Usman, Woodley remains ardent in the belief that he is still the better competitor, overall.
“I personally to this day think that skill set for skill set, experience for experience, I’m a way better fighter,” Woodley said. “But, on that night, he was the more focused fighter. He executed, and I didn’t.
“So at that moment in time, it’s not my belt. It hurts for me to say it, it’s f—king heartbreaking, I’ve shed tears about it, but it’s not my belt right now. It’s his belt.”
Woodley made a case for himself for an immediate rematch, but the UFC instead booked Usman’s maiden title defense to be against Covington. The date and venue of their fight has yet to be determined.
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