UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley admits his dislike for the fight game and how it turned out through the years.
Many top fighters in the UFC have openly admitted their actual dislike for what they do. Most recently, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley went on record to share the same sentiment.
“I don’t really even like fighting, to be honest,” Woodley told Joe Rogan on a recent JRE MMA Show podcast. “I’m just good at it.”
However, Woodley’s reasons for his feelings towards fighting is more deep-rooted. In a nutshell, he is not exactly a fan of how the culture had changed over the years.
“I don’t like the politics behind it, I don’t like the martial arts aspect that’s been taken away from it, I don’t like the disrespect to the sport,” Woodley said. “Guys that are not really training hard. They don’t look the part – I think a professional athlete should look a certain way.”
“I really just don’t like this generation of fighters that watch a move on TV, on YouTube, and they go in and try to do it. They don’t drill repetitions; they don’t want to actually put in the work.”
Woodley also pointed out the recurring trend of how fighters get their name out using bravado and self-marketing, as opposed to fighting their way up the ladder.
“If a guy talks enough shit and starts wearing fly suits, then this day and age, that’s good enough for a title shot,” Woodley said. “And I think that’s disrespectful to everybody that came before when you had to go 10-0 to get the f—ng call from the UFC. (Today), if Conor McGregor wanted Artem Lobov in the UFC, he’s gonna be in the UFC.”
“The Chosen One” says while this development turned him off a little bit, he is made to keep going just by finding ways to win and stay on top.
“It’s ways that the sport has taken the love out of it, but I just find a way to dominate my opponents, taking all their tools away from them, and Din Thomas and Duke Roufus are f—ng masterminds,” Woodley explained. “So, I take pride in that, I take pride in going in there and not getting hit, dominating and knocking people out.”
“I love training; I don’t like what the sport has become.”
Woodley, who underwent successful shoulder surgery in late December, has yet to schedule his next title defense.