Tyron Woodley feels he should have been Georges St-Pierre’s comeback opponent, instead of Michael Bisping.
After winning his seventh consecutive fight at UFC 211, Demian Maia was promised the next title shot by Dana White himself. But for champion Tyron Woodley, the current number one-ranked 170-pound contender might have to “take a backseat” to more prominent names such as Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.
St-Pierre had just lost his shot at Michael Bisping’s middleweight title, which was supposed to be his return fight after a four-year hiatus. According to Woodley, GSP’s decision to go for Bisping was the safer route to take.
“I’m the best welterweight in the world and I feel like Georges St-Pierre should’ve fought me. He should’ve come back (to welterweight),” Woodley said on his recent appearance on The MMA Hour (Via MMA Fighting). “Fighting Bisping, I think that was the cowardly move. He’s going to fight someone who doesn’t have the ability to concuss him like I would, or Johny Hendricks would, or Robbie Lawler would. That’s why he went (up in weight).”
“If Stephen Thompson would’ve beaten me, I guarantee that his first fight back would’ve been against Stephen Thompson, a similar karate-style fighter that he’s probably seen a million times, he’s trained with him, he doesn’t have the one-punch KO power, he’s not going to submit him, he’s not going to stop his shot,” Woodley continued. “It’s the safer fight for a big payday. So with that said, I just kinda raise my eyebrows, the fact that he would go up a weight class when there’s a willing, dominant champion that wants to take you on that’s excited about the fight.”
“It surprised me, but hey, if it’s Demian Maia first or if it’s Georges St-Pierre first, everybody’s going to get it at the end of the day and I’m just excited to be where I’m at right now.”
Like St-Pierre, Diaz’s career also remains uncertain as of the moment. Woodley says he has been campaigning for a fight against the Stockton native because of the potential rivalry that can be created out of the matchup, something that he just cannot see happening if he faces Maia.
“An exciting fight, something I believe could produce my first rivalry maybe, my first back-and-forth press conference, is maybe a Nick Diaz. In my opinion, he’s a lineal top-five welterweight, what he’s done for the sport, how he actually got people excited about it,” Woodley said. “He was really just himself and that became an image, and I think he can do that everyday because that’s him, so I respect him, I respect what he’s done for MMA. That’s another fight that excites me.”
“I just don’t see beating Demian Maia really putting another notch on my belt like those two guys would,” he continued. “Now, granted, he’s got what, 17, 18, 19 wins in the UFC? Something ridiculous. He took Anderson Silva to a decision. He rattled off seven victories in a row. Man, how do you do that type of stuff in silence?”
“Think about it. It’s our sport. Our sport does not allow jiu-jitsu, the building block of the UFC — it has not allowed it to be great. It’s not respected. It’s not something that everyone wants to see. That’s how he’s been able to rattle off seven victories against top opponents and not get the credit. It’s not my fault. I didn’t do it.”