UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley is planning to return from shoulder surgery later this year to compete at UFC 227.
The champion has an eye towards his future as a fighter and that may include a run in the middleweight division.
“I kind of want to legitimately clean the division,” Woodley said on MMA Junkie Radio. “I wouldn’t mind fighting Rafael dos Anjos, Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman, Darren Till, and at that point, unless another prospect emerges, I’ve cleaned out the division. And I’m the greatest welterweight of all time at that point. And then it’s time to go up to 185, and I want that belt. I want to finish off my division. When it’s all said and done, I did everything I could do there. I want to go up and challenge myself once again, and I want to try to win the belt at ’85 and defend there and pretty much retire as a middleweight.”
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos and Colby Covington are battling for the vacant UFC Interim Welterweight Title this weekend at UFC 225, with the winner being the next potential challenger for Woodley.
Opponents don’t really seem to matter to Woodley at the moment because the champion simply wants to fight whomever is next.
“I’m not really concerned with who’s ready, who’s next,” Woodley said. “You’ve got to realize there are certain rights you deserve as a champion. When I’m ready to fight, now it’s time to fight. Whoever they got for me to fight at this time, come get this work. I don’t want to sit back and say, ‘Oh, I want to sit and wait to see what happens with this fight.’ I’m the champion. I want to fight.”
If Woodley does manage to get his wish and compete at UFC 225, it would be the third title fight on the card as both the UFC Bantamweight Title and UFC Flyweight Title could be defended at the event.
