UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley is coming off of a successful title defense against Damien Maia at UFC 214.
Dana White recently stated that former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler may be next for Woodley, but it’s an idea that Woodley isn’t a fan of.
“Why do I fight Lawler? What has he done in this last year besides crawl up in a ball and hide?” Woodley said on The MMA Hour. “That’s what Ronda Rousey did. He didn’t do that when he knocked out everybody else. I didn’t do that when I got knocked out. I came back, I shook myself else off, I got myself back up. I just don’t feel like someone that’s taken a year off, as much as I know Dana loves Robbie and the fans love Robbie — I love Robbie, Robbie’s a dope fighter, we were friends before that fight, I feel bad that we haven’t really communicated that much since then — but I just don’t feel as if a fighter who I knocked out in 46 seconds takes a year off, (then) comes back and wins a fight kinda close, and jumps right back into the title picture. So, there’s no clear contenders right now.”
Woodley defeated Lawler in their first meeting at UFC 201 to become the UFC Welterweight Champion.
The champion is also dealing with a shoulder injury and he doesn’t want an interim title created in his absence.
“I’m going to get a second or third opinion on this shoulder, see what I need to do to get back as fast as I can,” Woodley said. “And if anybody says, utters, mumbles, accidentally says the word ‘interim,’ I’m going to lose my sh-t. Because I fought four world title fights in 12 months, and I was prepared to fight five in 18 months coming out in November. So, I dare somebody to say anything about a goddang interim title. I will lose my top, because I’ve seen athletes injured for years, months, never defended — how many belts has Conor McGregor defended? Let’s keep everything consistent, people. Let’s keep everything equal, let’s keep everything the same. Don’t mention an interim title. I am so going to flip a screw.”
Lawler competed at UFC 214 as well, defeating fellow welterweight Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision.
