When Tyron Woodley trained Denzel Washington for 'The Equalizer II' in Los Angeles
Alongside being a UFC fighter and now a boxer, Tyron Woodley has also been an actor and stuntperson in movies.
In one of the brightest mentions on his Hollywood resume, Tyron Woodley worked closely with Denzel Washington for the actor's hit action movie sequel, The Equalizer II. Washington mentioned Woodley during the press tour of the movie and said they trained with world-class fighters to prepare for the shoot.
Watch the clip below:
Tyron Woodley posted a picture with Denzel Washington at the time, thanking the pioneering actor for "lessons of life, acting, relationship, and mindset." T-Wood also mentioned that he trained Washington for around 6 weeks for the movie and that it was one of the most memorable moments of his career.
Tyron Woodley also recollected the experience in a recent appearance on the Real Quick With Mike Swick podcast.
Mike Swick brought up their mutual friend Lin Oeding, who trained in mixed martial arts in his early days. He then went on to become a fight coordinator and movie director in Hollywood. Tyron Woodley reminisced about how he got the opportunity to train Denzel Washington and his co-stars thanks to Lin Oeding, who worked on the set of The Equalizer II as the fight coordinator:
"I trained them. I remember it. I trained them for the 'Equalizer' thing. It was so... like till this day I use it as a profile picture," Tyron Woodley said.
Lin Oeding has worked on a number of Hollywood blockbusters as a stuntman including Inception, Fast & Furious, Olympus Has Fallen, Ant-Man, Spiderman: Homecoming and has directed episodes of Blindspot, Cobra Kai, Warrior and S.W.A.T. among others.
In 2018, Lin Oeding directed a horror-comedy movie titled Office Uprising, where Tyron Woodley played a secondary character named Mario.
Tyron Woodley's former opponent also worked on 'The Equalizer II'
Tyron Woodley was not the only UFC fighter to work with Denzel Washington on the set of The Equalizer II. His UFC 156 opponent Jay Hieron, who went on to work in Hollywood after retiring from MMA, starred in the movie in a short role and shared screentime with the superstar.
Jay Hieron spoke to MMAWeekly.com in 2018 about his appearance in the movie and what it was like working with Denzel Washington:
"It was incredible working with him. I learned a lot just from watching him. That’s how I learned my whole martial arts career and wrestling career: just watching and being involved. It was definitely a highlight of the stuff I’ve done so far," Jay Hieron said.
Hieron has also done stunt work on television and web series such as Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Iron Fist and Gotham as well as movies like Logan and John Wick: Chapter 2.