UFC 214 was a pretty amazing event, with great fights through the prelims right up to the exciting and dramatic rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. But one fight that didn’t set the world on fire was the Tyron Woodley vs. Demian Maia welterweight title fight. That one lasted the full 25 minutes, at least 18 of which had the entire Honda Center booing their lungs out, performing the wave, and waving their cell phones around.
An arena in protest! #UFC214 pic.twitter.com/Un4mKW1W5r
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) July 30, 2017
Afterwards, outspoken UFC president Dana White tore Woodley a new one during the post-fight press conference, taking a big money fight with GSP away from the welterweight champ and accusing Tyron of not wanting to take any risks.
Tyron struck back on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour, explaining that a torn and he used some pretty strong words.
“I don’t care so much about the fans but when your job title is promoter, promote your f**king fighters,” Woodley said. “Promote your champion. Don’t demote your champion. I threw my shoulder out in the first round, I wasn’t able to throw any damaging shots.”
“I’ve done nothing but good stuff for the sport,” Tyron continued. “I’ve done nothing but be a good model for the f**king organization. I go out there and I fight with integrity. I covered your sport from the FOX desk a week before my fight. I always uphold my responsibilities to the organization. It’s time out for that. The word behind ‘business’ is ‘man.’ You need to be a man, you owe me a public apology. And if I don’t get that, I’m going to start leaking some s**t that people don’t want to be out in the wind. I’m not even kidding about that. They know what I’m referring to. I’m due a public apology.”
Threatening to leak some s**t probably isn’t going to help Woodley’s case with White, who previously labeled the fighter a ‘drama queen.’ But we have to admit, there’s mounting evidence that White is way too quick to throw his fighters under the bus. Just in the last few months the UFC has feuded with champs Demetrious Johnson, Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg, stripped champ Germaine de Randamie, Woodley, Jon Jones, and Stipe Miocic. Then there’s Nick and Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and probably a couple other big stars I’m forgetting about.
At a certain point you have to wonder if all these fighters are in the wrong, or if maybe it’s UFC president Dana White that’s the common denominator in all these issues not being resolved in a level headed fashion. Regardless, we doubt Tyron’s words are going to calm things down. If anything, the drama is only spinning out of control:
Don't worry boss @danawhite I know some serious dirt on @TWooodley that would ruin his life. #fake https://t.co/MK9SdXRgge
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) August 1, 2017