Tyron Woodley is already on to the next one.
Just days after his 61-second TKO win over Dong Hyun Kim in Macau, Woodley told MMAFighting.com that he’s interested in fighting Matt Brown next, and he knows when he would like for it to happen, too.
“A fight against Matt Brown seems most interesting,” he said. “Fans want it. He has a ton of heart and is tough as nails.
“Really looking at the landscape of the division, this fight stood out first. Granted it’s one of the toughest fights, but it’s a good match-up, people love him, he was a fight away from a title shot, ranked fifth, and fans would flip. I feel like he will bring the best out of me and test my limits. I respect him as a fighter and feel fighting him makes the most since for my career.
“I would also like to do this whenever they have Johny Hendricks vs Robbie Lawler 2 and have it be the co-main event. That way there isn’t a stagger on when we all compete and run into the problem of people already being paired up, injured, or a won-loss formula doesn’t work.
“Plus, having the title bout after my fight has always made me send a message that I’m coming for you. I’ll get up for this one.”
The date of the Hendricks vs. Lawler rematch has yet to be officially announced by the UFC. MMAFighting.com reached out to Brown to comment on Woodley’s proposal but did not hear back.
Woodley (14-3) got back on the winning track in a big way after stumbling against Rory MacDonald in June. Prior to that loss, he had won two in a row against Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit.
Brown (19-12) lost a five-round unanimous decision to Lawler last month. The loss snapped his seven-fight winning streak.