Tyron Woodley hoping for rematch with Kamaru Usman after falling ‘flat’
Tyron Woodley was set to defend his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman last night in the stacked UFC 235 card. Woodley was making claims to be the greatest welterweight ever and needed another win to really put himself in the talk.
Well, Usman simply dominated all night long and put a pace on Woodley he couldn’t match. Usman could have had several 10-8 rounds, and Woodley knows it was not his best performance.
“I gotta give him his respect,” Woodley said at the post-fight press conference at T-Mobile Arena. “Because like I said before I’ve been on the other side of the stick a lot. I’ve beat a lot of people up, knocked a lot of people out. Won some close fights, that people may have thought they won so I just had to make sure he got his respect, his proper respect for winning tonight.”
However, although Woodley did get dominated, the hope is he can rematch Usman and try to get back his belt. He believes his record speaks for itself and knows he would do better if he is given the chance.
“We know what I’m capable of,” Woodley said.” I’m just looking to rematch and run it back, man. It was my fifth title defense, and I feel like, I’m the champion. What I’ve done for this organization, man, the performance may not have voiced for a rematch but I think my resume does.
Something obviously looked wrong for Woodley, he just couldn’t pull the trigger at all. It is possible he was hurt, but Woodley is making no excuses. Rather, just saying Usman was the better fighter.
“It was an uncharacteristic fight of me,” Woodley said. “I kind of knew early on. Sometimes when I start a fight, I come out blazing, I come out with combinations, I kind of get in that rhythm and I stay in that rhythm. This time it was just something real weird. He was dropping down and squatting all low and it was almost like i was hypnotized like I know you’re about to shoot, I’m trying to time what you do so I can hit you with those uppercuts, and I then I think I got to the point I was just waiting on him to shoot.”
In the end, it just wasn’t Woodley’s night and he understands that.
“Tonight it was just weird,” Woodley said. “I was just flat and I don’t know why but when you’re on this stage you can’t have a bad night.”
