Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley thinks fighters like Sage Northcutt and Paige VanZant paid the price for being rushed to the spotlight. Woodley made a name for himself as the UFC welterweight champion, defeating Robbie Lawler for the belt before earning successful title defenses against the likes of Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson. While…
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley thinks fighters like Sage Northcutt and Paige VanZant paid the price for being rushed to the spotlight.
Woodley made a name for himself as the UFC welterweight champion, defeating Robbie Lawler for the belt before earning successful title defenses against the likes of Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson.
While Woodley’s best MMA days may be behind him, he remains one of the most vocal personalities in the sport. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind especially when it comes to issues involving the UFC.
“They (UFC) force feed. What happened when you forced Sage Northcutt on us? … No shade, that’s my homie, but they pressed him too quick. He wasn’t ready. I was his training partner, I’m telling you, he wasn’t ready,” Woodley admitted. “He would’ve been great, he could’ve been a champion. He gave me many, many ass-whoopings in the gym. But then he couldn’t take when somebody went to submit him. He couldn’t take pressure. If he couldn’t get right up, it would frustrate him. That was the thing that me and my coach wanted to work with him on. Because he was so young.
“So, Sage, Paige VanZant, all these people they wanted us to be like, ‘This is the person,’ but they gotta still win. What happens when you fuck around and you blow somebody up to ‘this is the person’ and they lose, to Charlie Oliveira. You may want Gaethje there because he doesn’t give a fuck and just says crazy shit, but he may not be able to fuck with Charlie Oliveira. The sport is the sport.”
One exception to Woodley’s points is Khamzat Chimaev. The welterweight star has catapulted to the title hunt after just a few wins, including most recently against former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
VanZant recently made her professional wrestling debut in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is also signed to Bare Knuckle FC. VanZant went 5-4 during her UFC run.
Northcutt most recently competed against Cosmo Alexandre in ONE Championship back in May 2019. During his UFC career, he went 6-2, with both losses coming by submission.
Woodley feels that the career trajectories of fighters like VanZant and Northcutt would’ve gone a different direction had they taken the Sean O’Malley route with a slow, methodical path to a title.
Do you agree with Tyron Woodley’s comments about Sage Northcutt and Paige VanZant?
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley doesn’t believe that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is an appropriate figure to head the push for improved fighter pay. While many storylines have come and gone in recent times, one remains ever-present in discussions and headlines: fighter pay. In a turn of events that not many would have called five…
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley doesn’t believe that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is an appropriate figure to head the push for improved fighter pay.
While many storylines have come and gone in recent times, one remains ever-present in discussions and headlines: fighter pay. In a turn of events that not many would have called five years ago, the spearhead for the increased coverage of the debate has been Paul, an online celebrity who has transformed a venture into YouTube boxing into the pursuit of becoming a respect professional pugilist.
But while much of his attention has been on his own exploits inside the ring, “The Problem Child” has also had his sights set on the exploits (or perceived ‘exploiting’) of the MMA leader, with the 25-year-old calling the promotion and its president Dana White out for its pay structure whenever possible.
Remember when Endeavor guy said the right comparison for UFC fighter pay is the PGA Tour?
Nate Diaz should just resign from UFC and join PFL…then we can call it the right comparison https://t.co/IDZELc4TwI
Tyron Woodley, who has shared the squared circle unsuccessfully on two occasions with Paul, falls on the latter side of that argument. During a recent appearance on The Residency Podcast, “The Chosen One” suggested that Paul has no place being the ambassador for fighter pay given his personal circumstances.
“I believe that Jake Paul is not the f*cking ambassador for (fighter pay). If you’ve never been underpaid, you should never be the spokesperson for underpaid athletes,” said Woodley. “If you’ve never had adversity, if you’ve never been signed to a promoter that controls your fights, and when you fought and how often you fought, and been threatened if you don’t fight — I got threatened all my last title fights, ‘If you don’t fight, we’re stripping you of the belt. If you don’t fight, we’re kicking you out,’ every time, Darren Till fight, Usman fight, ‘Wonderboy’ fight. But it’s the business.”
Woodley also suggested that the credit for Paul’s outspoken attitude towards the perceived issue should go to the 25-year-old’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, who formerly held an executive position within the UFC.
Woodley said that while Paul is looking to be the hero, Bidarian is the one who is hoping to bring light to the problems he identified during his time in the promotion.
“This is the thing… it’s more of a kudos to Nakisa for being willing to expose what he feels like should change,” suggested Woodley. “He’s (Paul) not the ambassador for fighter pay, I should be the f*cking ambassador for fighter pay… What he’s doing is trying to be a hero.”
Those reading Woodley’s comments might pose the question: why doesn’t Tyron Woodley take over the mantle for improving contractual conditions for UFC fighters?
While he believes that he could do it a lot better than former opponent Paul is, the 40-year-old doesn’t see the point when there’s little to no unity between fighters, which he added is in large part down to the promotional tactics of the UFC.
“There’s no unity. How you gonna unionize with no unity? If I’m taught to say, ‘F*ck you, I’m gonna beat you, let’s fight,’ they build-up the press conferences off us not liking each other, right? To me, or to a Diaz brother, I’m on the same sh*t, when we leave, I still don’t f*cking like you,” said Woodley. “So why the f*ck would I kumbaya with you and ‘let’s get our money?’ When I was not making money, you were not trying to do this sh*t. Now that I’m making millions, now everybody wants to take — Nah, I’m fighting, ’cause there’s no unity.”
After exiting the UFC in early 2021 following four consecutive losses, Woodley turned his attention to new ventures. Having laced the boxing gloves to face Paul, the former UFC champion claimed to have quadrupled his biggest Octagon salary following his first meeting with the YouTuber.
Former NFL running back Frank Gore made his professional boxing debut over the weekend and walked away with the KO victory. The 39-year old Gore celebrated his birthday by landing a right hand in the fourth round that sent opponent Yaya Olorunsola falling face first to the canvas at Gamebred Boxing 1 in Biloxi, Mississippi….
Former NFL running back Frank Gore made his professional boxing debut over the weekend and walked away with the KO victory.
The 39-year old Gore celebrated his birthday by landing a right hand in the fourth round that sent opponent Yaya Olorunsola falling face first to the canvas at Gamebred Boxing 1 in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The former NFL standout previously appeared in an exhibition boxing match against former NBA All-Star Deron Williams, losing a four-round split-decision. That bout was contested as part of the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 fight card last December.
Gore’s opponent Yaya Olorunsola was also making his pro boxing debut in this matchup. The 28-year old Olorunsola previously competed in a bare knuckle MMA bout at Gamebred Fighting Championship 1 in June 2021, losing the fight by first-round knockout.
Frank Gore played sixteen seasons in the NFL for five different teams. Best-known for his career with the San Francisco 49ers, Gore was selected for the NFL’s Pro Bowl five times and retired with the third-most rushing yards in NFL history.
What’s your reaction to Frank Gore picking up his first win as a professional boxer?
Last week, UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell appeared on Fox News. In a free-wheeling interview with Tucker Carlson, the 27-year-old opined on a number of conservative talking points, ranging from his refusal to fight in foreign wars, to the illegitimacy of the US Federal Reserve, before delivering an ominous warning to viewers at home. “Evil has…
Last week, UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell appeared on Fox News. In a free-wheeling interview with Tucker Carlson, the 27-year-old opined on a number of conservative talking points, ranging from his refusal to fight in foreign wars, to the illegitimacy of the US Federal Reserve, before delivering an ominous warning to viewers at home.
“Evil has took over this nation and we ain’t afraid of it. And we’re ready to fight,” declared the Arkansas native.
Such sentiment no doubt fell on sympathetic ears among Fox News’ staunchly conservative viewers, and perhaps, many MMA fans, too. But for some, ‘Thug Nasty’s’ appearance on the network seems to highlight a glaring double standard when it comes to athletes speaking out on political issues.
This double standard, it seems, has also played out within the MMA community, as scores of fans rallied to Mitchell’s defense in recent weeks. His statements, no matter how outrageous, are a righteous expression of free speech, they’ve argued.
But is this same right to free speech afforded to fighters with whom fans may not agree with? When fighters voice political beliefs considered left of the aisle, do fans defend their right to do so under the guise of free speech, or are they told to shut up and fight?
The Free Speech Absolutism Of The UFC
MMA prides itself as one of the last bastions of free speech in what many consider an increasingly censorious national discourse. No more is this ideal present than in the UFC, where controversial opinions that attract censure or punitive repercussions in other sports routinely take safe haven.
“In this insanely politically correct world we’re living in, this is one place that is not,” UFC President Dana White said of his promotion last year.
PHOTO: GETTY
Mitchell is just the latest in a long line of UFC fighters to thoroughly test his employer’s commitment to free speech. In Mitchell’s defense, some of his statements have simply been the declaration of legitimate, albeit fringe conservative beliefs. Others, however, like Mitchell’s claim that the 2017 Las Vegas shooting was staged by the US government, were in the realm of Alex Jonesian lunacy.
The UFC, of course, didn’t censor nor rebuke Mitchell for his more controversial, and to some, offensive claims. And true to the promotion’s commitment to free speech, it has historically afforded the same liberty to those fighters who espouse causes and beliefs on the other end of the political spectrum. But can the same be said for fight fans?
When Tyron Woodley Turned Political Activist
At the pre-fight press conference of his 2020 bout with Colby Covington, Tyron Woodley decided to make what some in the MMA world considered a controversial political statement. Wearing a Trump-inspired cap that read “Make Racists Catch The Fade Again,” the former welterweight champ answered every question with some variation of “because black lives matter.”
Woodley in this case, much like Mitchell has in recent weeks, used his platform as a sportsperson to voice his political beliefs. But unlike Mitchell, or Donald Trump supporting Covington, the former welterweight champ was excoriated online for unashamedly mixing politics with sport. Calls for Woodley to simply ‘shut up and fight’ were many, and those defending his right to express his political beliefs under the guise of free speech—like in the case of Mitchell—were few.
I wonder why the same people don't tell @ColbyCovMMA to keep politics out of sports?!#BLM
Unlike more mainstream sports, whose governing bodies and, to an extent, fans, display a left-of-center bias, MMA generally skews toward the right. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Conservative opinions, in the marketplace of ideas, are as legitimate as progressive ones.
But if MMA fans pride themselves as fierce defenders of free speech—a right exalted in mostly conservative circles—then surely this ideal must be consistently applied to all fighters, regardless of their political persuasion.
Perhaps the words of Mitchell, as spoken during his recent Fox News interview, ring true for any fighter who enters the realm of political debate—no matter where they sit on the political spectrum.
“For me to be able to talk about something greater than fighting is more purposeful than anything I can talk about related to fighting,” Mitchell said. “And so I’m grateful to be able to do that. And a lot of people say, ‘Shut up and fight.’ Well, you know what? If you don’t want to hear that shit, turn off the TV and watch the fight. You don’t have to watch my interviews. Turn them off then.”
Bryce Mitchell (Image Credit: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
The following article was published on this day three years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives. On This Day Three Years Ago… [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 13, 2019, 12:32 PM] Darren Till suffered the first defeat of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in…
The following article was published on this day three years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 13, 2019, 12:32 PM]
Darren Till suffered the first defeat of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in his last fight. “
The Gorilla” was submitted in the second round of his UFC welterweight title contest with Tyron Woodley in September. Now, he’s looking to bounce back this weekend (Sat. March 16, 2019) against Jorge Masvidal at UFC London.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Till admitted that his loss to Woodley still stings, and he doesn’t think he’ll ever move past it. In fact, he’s realistic that the same thing could happen to him this weekend, and he’s not scared to talk about it:
“I don’t think I’ll ever move past it,” Till said. “I’m not ashamed to say it still hurts every day if it comes to mind. I’ve watched the fight many times, and it’s just something inside of me. Even if I get the rematch with Woodley and beat him, the first fight will still be a thorn inside of me.
“I’ve always said that openly, you can’t really go through this life – a normal life or the fighting life – with it all being highs. The lows do come, and I always said that a loss would come. A loss may come again. A loss may happen Saturday. I’m not scared to talk about it because it’s all reality. I am a realist.”
With a new champion at the helm, the welterweight division is ripe for the picking in regards to big fights. Should Till emerge victorious this weekend with a big showing, he could be right back in line for title contention. However, he needs to get past a hungry Masvidal first.
“Gamebred” hasn’t won a fight since January of 2017. After back-to-back losses, and not having fought since November of 2017, Masvidal might have to shake off some ring rust before he gets going against a striker the caliber of Till on Saturday.
Who are you picking for Till vs. Masvidal this weekend?
Tyron Woodley is interested in boxing Tommy Fury next time out. Woodley stepped up on short notice to rematch Jake Paul when Fury pulled out. After he was knocked out, Paul said that Woodley should box Fury. Since then, there has been no talk, but just recently, Paul’s promotion posted on social media asking if…
Tyron Woodley is interested in boxing Tommy Fury next time out.
Woodley stepped up on short notice to rematch Jake Paul when Fury pulled out. After he was knocked out, Paul said that Woodley should box Fury. Since then, there has been no talk, but just recently, Paul’s promotion posted on social media asking if fans would want to see the fight.
On his Instagram Stories, Woodley wrote “I’m with it,” in response to the idea of a bout against Fury.
Although Jake Paul wants to see Tyron Woodley vs. Tommy Fury, the Brit has made it clear he wants the Paul fight rebooked.
“I’d look to see the [Paul] fight happen by the back end of the year. I’m not really waiting around for it, he knows I’m ready to fight at all times,” Fury told Sky Sports. “I’ve put that out there countless times, I’m not the issue here. If the man wanted to fight we’d have a rescheduled date by now. The ball’s in his court, I’m ready to fight whenever. I would like to see it happen at the end of the year, I know Frank [Warren] is still trying to reach out to him and stuff like that.”
“I sort of want him to fight Tyron Woodley and see what happens there. Because I think Tyron would knock Tommy out, so, I almost want to have them fight. Then, maybe we could run it back after that,” Paul later added on The MMA Hour.
Tyron Woodley is 0-2 in boxing as he suffered the KO loss to Paul in December and dropped a split decision to Paul in August. Prior to that, he was on a four-fight losing streak in the UFC after losing his belt.
Tommy Fury, meanwhile, is 7-0 as a pro boxer and coming off a decision win over Bellator veteran Anthony Taylor last time out. He hasn’t fought anyone of note in his career.
Would you like to see Tyron Woodley vs. Tommy Fury?
