Where would prime Tyron Woodley rank in the UFC welterweight division in 2021?
A recent attempt to ignite a rap career has shown us that Tyron Woodley is somewhat of an audiophile. Wonder if he ever heard the 1970 George Harrison song “All Things Must Pass.” The Beatle softly sang, "none of life’s dreams can last, so, I must be on my way," lyrically exploring the transient nature of human existence, but with optimism rather than fatalism.
‘The Chosen One’, recently released from the UFC after an eight-year stint, currently finds himself in a state of transition. On August 28, Tyron Woodley will lace up gloves for the first time in a professional boxing match against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. While some fans view this as a sad climax to a great combat sports career, the glass-half-full fan would claim that Woodley will receive his biggest payday yet and potentially reshape the face of an ex-Disney star.
Tyron Woodley was a phenomenon
Arguably one of the most gruesome matches in UFC history, Robbie Lawler’s rematch with Rory MacDonald in 2015 showed just how tough the welterweight division had become. A 21-minute bloodbath was stopped just shy of the scheduled five rounds, as MacDonald couldn't bear the pain of his injuries any longer.
‘Ruthless’ had successfully defended his UFC welterweight title for the first time and sent a message to the rest of the division in the process.
Before their UFC careers, both Tyron Woodley and Lawler had been rising the ranks of the Strikeforce promotion at the same time. However, ‘Ruthless’ competed in the middleweight division, so the pair had never met inside the cage.
The day of reckoning finally came at UFC 201 in 2016, with Lawler entering the contest as a heavy favorite, then on a five-fight win streak. Fight fans didn’t have to wait long as ‘The Chosen One’ smoked Lawler with a right hand just two minutes into the first round, becoming the new UFC welterweight champion in devastating fashion.
How would prime Tyron Woodley fare in the UFC's welterweight division today?
Who is better in their prime, Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona? Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali? Garry Kasparov or Magnus Carlson?
These are questions that could be argued over ad infinitum, and while they produce some interesting and passionate arguments, the fact remains: it is impossible to compare generational skill sets.
As the Earth spins at 1,000mph every day, our world constantly evolves, and perhaps things move even quicker within the MMA universe.
The sport's popularity has grown exponentially over the past 20 years, and the talent pool seems to have grown with it, which has only made it harder to hold onto UFC gold.
Only three other fighters have successfully defended the welterweight title more times than Woodley (4) in UFC history: Matt Hughes (5), Kamaru Usman (8), and Georges St-Pierre (9). With this in mind, it's perhaps fair to say that a prime Tyron Woodley would certainly be able to hold his own in the current top five welterweight rankings.
His kryptonite was the current champion Kamaru Usman, the man responsible for dethroning 'The Chosen One' and starting his decline. Considering Usman is making a case for the best UFC welterweight of all time, Tyron Woodley couldn’t have lost to a better opponent.
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