Tyron Woodley changes perspective "You guys will tell me who to fight from now on"

[chaos_36]

Fans jumped on Hughes' side when he criticized Evans for show boating on TUF.

Evans began his championship reign off the heels of knocking out fan-favorites Liddell and Griffin.

Combine the two and fans witness Evans dancing as Liddell lay face down on the canvas, I think the fans would've hated whomever that was regardless of skin color:

The funny thing about the Hughes thing is that he was one of the most disliked MMA fighters at that time, him not liking Rashad didn't really have any bearing on whether Rashad would be liked or not. You might be right about the Griffin and Liddel thing though, I was never a fan of either of them so didn't take it personally when they both got smoked. You think his detractors would have let it go once Lyoto kicked his ass though, surely they're not that petty?

 

[FrodoFraggins]

Beat the top contenders, clean out the division and don't be boring

 

[Winter-John]

Does the guy ever shut up? It seems like everyday he's on some podcast or social media babbling like a demented housewife. I like the guy but fucks sake, we don't need to hear every single thought that flaps around his head

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

I don't even care who woodley fights just keep knocking down contenders rather than trying to game the names.

 

[Ruthless_swag]

Cliffs
- Calling people out hasn't been working, he'll just fight whoever the fans want to see from now on on his quest to be the best
- Respects Darren Till, likes him as an opponent but considers him a threat.
- Thinks Till poses more problems than Colby
- Isn't thinking about Colby anymore, calls his hat in the white house picture terrible
- Says Till has been stabbed so there's no way he's afraid of fighting. He's into it
- Calls Mike Perry one of his favorite people on the roster, says he'd love to fight him one day but thinks he's absolutely hilarious
- Thinks of himself as an old lion right now, but Till reminds him of himself in terms of mentality when he was younger and hungry
- Modeled his early career off of GSP's approach to MMA, thinks its helped him as he's gotten more experience "He trained for the end of his career at the beginning"

respect to the best welterweight on the planet. haters can go kill themselves. haters always hate but the best welterweight on the planet will just find ways to prove his critics wrong.
He is going to absolutely mutilate till and then usman most likely right after. Once he is done with these two, he will probably enquire about a potential money fight with gsp or connor. Since both are likely to duck him, woodley will probably go up in weight and challenge gastulem who would have dethroned whittaker by then. If he beats gastulem he might have one title defense against either romero or costa and then retire.

 

[Jackonfire]

I mean, isn't that what he should have been doing all this time anyway? If people didn't want to see him fight a guy, the PPV buys are going to be low.
Go with the fight that will garner the most interest. Seems like the logical way to go.

The UFC only allows certain champs to pick and choose. Woodley isn't one of those champs.

 

[Ruthless_swag]

I disagree. I watched him get completely outclassed by Rory and manhandled by Marquardt. He also won a razor thin split decision against Gastelum. He does have respectable wins over Lawler and Wonderboy and could improve his resume considerable with a win against Till. But, I think Till takes this - Woodley is getting old and does not do well against well rounded fighter.

gastulem would beat every WW on the planet if he makes weight including rory, possibly tyron too.
that marquardt fight was years back against a green woodley. marquardt even admitted that experience helped him that day and tyron was still a newbie to striking. Marquardt was also juiced to the tits. That version of marquardt would be top 5 at MW now comfortably because of PEDs.
Rory also beat a woodley that dint even have a head coach, he also had limited striking at the time and cut a lot of weight back then which affected his performance. He was a lot bigger back then which made him gas quicker. Woodley under roofus is easily top 2 at WW. No one except gastulem can beat him if he makes weight.

 

[MDoza]

I’m glad he’s finally fighting someone. He’s been out over a year.

Now, hopefully he doesn’t put on another snooze fest

 

[acannxr]

The funny thing about the Hughes thing is that he was one of the most disliked MMA fighters at that time, him not liking Rashad didn't really have any bearing on whether Rashad would be liked or not. You might be right about the Griffin and Liddel thing though, I was never a fan of either of them so didn't take it personally when they both got smoked.

What basis do you have for saying that Hughes was one of the most disliked MMA fighters at that time? He was the Welterweight Champion and just 4 months prior to that season of TUF, Hughes did this to Trigg and everyone popped out of their seats for him:


While Hughes criticism of Evans isn't the sole cause for the latter's negative reaction by the fans, it was certainly a factor by the time Evans showboated after defeating Liddell and Griffin (the very thing Hughes criticized him for on TUF).

You think his detractors would have let it go once Lyoto kicked his ass though, surely they're not that petty?

That's why first impressions are so important.

Which brings us back to Tyron Woodley (timeline):
-He got dominated by MacDonald.
-Finished #10 Kim.
-Won a lackluster split decision over #7 Gastelum.
-Complained about the ranking system.
-Sat out 1.5 years for a title shot.
-Knocked out fan-favorite Lawler.
-Calls out retired GSP/Diaz in post fight press conference.

So already, most fans thought he received an undeserved shot at the title, especially given how long he sat out (compounded by the fact that Thompson had finished Hendricks in the meantime), then he knocks out Lawler almost too quickly, so he didn't even have the benefit of starting off in neutral regard by the fans.

Woodley poured gasoline on the fire by making a PR nightmare for himself by calling out retired Diaz/GSP, ignoring the rankings he had previously complained about, and ignoring a number one contender lying in wait.

That was Woodley's first impression as he began his championship reign, and his negative reception was caused by his choices, not his skin color.

He only made it worse throughout the rest of the year:

Woodley compares himself to Ali in their lack of love from fans:
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/9/...oubled-by-lack-of-love-from-fans-ali-only-got

Woodley plays the race card:
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/10...-feels-race-plays-role-in-getting-recognition

Woodley has a majority draw against Thompson:
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/11...gor-results-tyron-woodley-vs-stephen-thompson

Woodley wants to fight Nick Diaz (instead of rematching Thompson):
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/12...l-media-twitter-tyron-woodley-nick-diaz-fight

 

[Paynebringer]

Well.


Woodley holds the record for the least amount of strikes in any championship fight.

I think that may play a role in why he’s not a draw.


Furthermore, one of the biggest factors in liking a guy for me is taking risks and going for finishes. Woodley is a safe fighter. Most of my favorite ones are not.

If Woodley holds the record the least amount of strikes in any championship fight, what exactly was the other guy doing?

Most champs do fight safe protecting the belt which is understandable I always think it's incumbent on the challenger to take the fight to champ and force a fight. I can't tell last when I've seen a champ charge across the cage to beat up challenger. Every champ knows that the challenger is the one that needs to bring the fight to take the belt, champ just needs to react the challenge...

 

[chaos_36]

What basis do you have for saying that Hughes was one of the most disliked MMA fighters at that time? He was the Welterweight Champion and just 4 months prior to that season of TUF, Hughes did this to Trigg and everyone popped out of their seats for him:


While Hughes criticism of Evans isn't the sole cause for the latter's negative reaction by the fans, it was certainly a factor by the time Evans showboated after defeating Liddell and Griffin (the very thing Hughes criticized him for on TUF).


That's why first impressions are so important.

Which brings us back to Tyron Woodley (timeline):
-He got dominated by MacDonald.
-Finished #10 Kim.
-Won a lackluster split decision over #7 Gastelum.
-Complained about the ranking system.
-Sat out 1.5 years for a title shot.
-Knocked out fan-favorite Lawler.
-Calls out retired GSP/Diaz in post fight press conference.

So already, most fans thought he received an undeserved shot at the title, especially given how long he sat out (compounded by the fact that Thompson had finished Hendricks in the meantime), then he knocks out Lawler almost too quickly, so he didn't even have the benefit of starting off in neutral regard by the fans.

Woodley poured gasoline on the fire by making a PR nightmare for himself by calling out retired Diaz/GSP, ignoring the rankings he had previously complained about, and ignoring a number one contender lying in wait.

That was Woodley's first impression as he began his championship reign, and his negative reception was caused by his choices, not his skin color.

He only made it worse throughout the rest of the year:

Woodley compares himself to Ali in their lack of love from fans:
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/9/...oubled-by-lack-of-love-from-fans-ali-only-got

Woodley plays the race card:
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/10...-feels-race-plays-role-in-getting-recognition

Woodley has a majority draw against Thompson:
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/11...gor-results-tyron-woodley-vs-stephen-thompson

Woodley wants to fight Nick Diaz (instead of rematching Thompson):
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/12...l-media-twitter-tyron-woodley-nick-diaz-fight

The basis for me saying Hughes was disliked is because he was disliked, him beating up Trigg (who was more hated) didn't change that fact. Sherdog was awash with anti-Hughes sentiments back in the day. Also the showboating thing is kind of funny considering Tito had his grave digger thing, Chuck had his Iceman scream and a few others had trademark post fight celebrations yet they weren't hated to the extent Rashad was. In my opinion, fighters like Rashad (young, black, attractive, articulate, charismatic) have very little leeway in terms of what they can do wrong in the fans eyes, it's almost a case of the very first indiscretion no matter how minor will become the catalyst for a disproportionate amount of contempt. Woodley fits into this category, fans can spin it any way they want but the amount of hate he gets over little shit is pretty disgraceful. I do agree with you that he's entitled though, a lot of fighters are nowadays.

 

[acannxr]

Sherdog

And that's why you're wrong <Lmaoo>.

 

[PROlogic]

him and Cejudo are the champs UFC needs.

Cejudo? Yes

Woodley? Lol no just no....stop

 

[FireKidWS]

If Woodley holds the record the least amount of strikes in any championship fight, what exactly was the other guy doing?

Most champs do fight safe protecting the belt which is understandable I always think it's incumbent on the challenger to take the fight to champ and force a fight. I can't tell last when I've seen a champ charge across the cage to beat up challenger. Every champ knows that the challenger is the one that needs to bring the fight to take the belt, champ just needs to react the challenge...

Wonderboy?

Wonderboys popularity on Sherdog has significantly wanned since that fight.

Difference is he’s not crying about not being a draw.

 

[PROlogic]

Rashad (young, black, attractive, articulate, charismatic)

 

[Paynebringer]

Wonderboy?

Wonderboys popularity on Sherdog has significantly wanned since that fight.

Difference is he’s not crying about not being a draw.

Woodley's is not crying about being a draw he's complaining about not being offered or getting potential money fights, he's been on the scene for more than a minute I don't think he's out of step for asking or complaining considering some of the fights the New UFC likes to plan out...

 

[p4pgoat]

GSP ducked Woodley, took the easier fight against Bisping IMO. Woodley did come off as charmin soft when he was "healthy enough" to fight Nate Diaz but not RDA or Colby.

But all in all, I like Woodley. I hope he dominates both Till & Colby.