UFC News: Tyron Woodley refuses to fight in London in March 2020, reveals his reason
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley is looking to bounce back big time and eventually re-enter title contendership at 170 pounds. He hasn't fought since he lost the title, though he was supposed to face Robbie Lawler, before pulling out.
His next opponent appears to be none other than the #4 ranked Welterweight Leon Edwards. Woodley has expressed interest, not in Edwards in particular, but any major opponent. It's just that as of this standing, Edwards is the most logical opponent for him.
And with Jorge Masvidal not necessarily chasing the title despite being the next contender deserving of it, Edwards is likely just a win away from facing the winner of Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington.
Either way, many believed that Woodley vs Edwards would be booked for March in UFC London, but that doesn't appear to be the case anymore. In a live stream by Tyron Woodley (captured by MMA World, H/T to Bjpenn.com), he said,
I’m ready to fight soon, man. They want me to fight in London. F**k that, I’m not going all the way to London to fight. I’m the five-time world champion, I’m gonna fight f***ing here. January 18th, January 25th, February 8th, I wanna fight in the States. I don’t wanna go out of the country and fight. When I go out of the country I wanna be on vacation.
From the sound of things, it's not that he doesn't want to face Leon Edwards, he simply doesn't want to fight outside the United States. It's quite odd given that most fighters relish the opportunity to travel and fight in front of a foreign crowd, but Woodley is justified in his way.
This probably means that we'll be seeing Woodley and Edwards go at it in a Fight Night in the United States or on a major PPV card. But, the problem with the latter is that it will make the bout only a three-round fight. And, one would think that the two would need five rounds to prove who the better fighter is.