Tyron Woodley Would Only Return To UFC To Face Israel Adesanya
Tyron Woodley would be willing to return to the UFC octagon if they can serve him Israel Adesanya on a platter. The former welterweight champion recently claimed that he despised ‘The Last Stylebender’ with a passion and would love to “beat the f**k out of him” in the famed octagon.
Tyron Woodley left the UFC after his first-round submission loss against Vincente Luque at UFC 260. That loss marked his fourth consecutive defeat in the promotion and his last contractual bout. He left the UFC in March 2021. After eight years in the promotion, Tyron Woodley ventured into boxing. He fought Jake Paul twice, losing their first bout by split decision, then their rematch by knockout.
Recently, Woodley claimed that he’d be willing to come back to the octagon. However, he’d only do that if Israel Adesanya was his opponent. It seems the two men share a mutual dislike for each other, owing to a misunderstanding.
During a recent appearance on the JAXXON podcast, Tyron Woodley told Quinton Jackson about his hatred for the former middleweight champion. It appears that Adesanya once ridiculed Woodley’s callout and made fun of the welterweight for suggesting a matchup. That rubbed Tyron Woodley the wrong way and has harbored that in his heart since.
However, Tyron Woodley added that he considers Israel Adesanya to be the best of the best. He stated that he merely wanted to test himself against ‘The Last Stylebender’ and wanted to prove his fighting prowess. Woodley claimed that despite showing respect, Israel Adesanya never reciprocated, and that led to a misunderstanding between them.
He also revealed that he had the option of fighting Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Michael Bisping, Conor McGregor, and Georges St-Pierre. However, he was willing to overlook all of them to fight Israel Adesanya.
Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya is coming off a shocking title loss against Sean Strickland at UC 293. The Nigerian-born Kiwi was brutally outpointed over five rounds and ultimately lost via unanimous decision.
