Tyron Woodley isn’t going to be happy about this one.
The currently unpopular UFC welterweight champion made headlines earlier this week when he went off on Dana White, threatening some dirt he didn’t want out in the win after White had heavily criticized his safe UFC 214 win over Demian Maia.
Woodley was seriously injured in the fight, tearing his labrum to earn a medical suspension which was just extended to a full six-month term when it was revealed he needed surgery. A long recovery on the horizon, Woodley recently discussed the prospect of an interim title, noting that would ‘lose it’ if the UFC or anyone else even uttered the term that has become far too prevalent.
But unfortunately for him, that’s just what is rumored to be happening. Even though he and White supposedly squashed the beef, a rumor has surfaced that the camps of both Robbie Lawler and Jorge Masvidal have been approached about fighting for an interim title at November 4’s UFC 217 from MSG. The UFC has not yet confirmed the fight and the bout is just a rumor as of right now.
If it were indeed found out to be true, the booking is a curious one at the very least, because while Woodley may indeed be out for six months or more with his injury, he’s also been the most active UFC champion during his recent run, defending the belt three times in less than a year after winning it from Lawler at July 2016’s UFC 201. He’s also defended it against the clear top contenders, facing Stephen Thompson twice at UFC 205 and UFC 209 and then Maia at UFC 214.
But he’s been crying out for a fight with Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz while all the while putting on two absolute snoozers in his last two bouts, fights where the MMA community called him out for playing it far too safe in order to keep the belt. By comparison, Lawler only recently returned from his knockout loss to Woodley, defeating Donald Cerrone in a hard-fought decision at UFC 214, and Masvidal lost his latest bout to Maia at May’s UFC 211. Neither has anything close to the recent resumé of Woodley, but both are known to bring the action in the fights nonetheless.
So that may have played into the decision, or the UFC may just want to stack UFC 217, its second straight November card in New York City. Last year’s UFC 205 was obviously a blowout with three title fights, and middleweight champion Michael Bisping is rumored to finally make his next defense against St-Pierre, already putting two title fights on the card.
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