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Tyron Woodley
Tyron Woodley.png
Woodley in 2018
Born (1982-04-07) April 7, 1982 (age 42)
Ferguson, Missouri, U.S.
Nickname(s) The Chosen One
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division Welterweight (MMA)
Cruiserweight (boxing)
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Team Roufusport
American Top Team
ATT Evolution
Rank Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Din Thomas
Wrestling NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active 2006–present (MMA)
2021–present (boxing)
Professional boxing record
Total 2
Wins 0
Losses 2
By knockout 1
Mixed martial arts record
Total 27
Wins 19
By knockout 7
By submission 5
By decision 7
Losses 7
By knockout 2
By submission 1
By decision 4
Draws 1
Amateur record
Total 7
Wins 7
Losses 0
Other information
University University of Missouri
Medal record
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Missouri Tigers
Big 12 Championships
Gold 2003 Columbia 165 lb

Tyron Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American former mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at Strikeforce and was an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler for the Missouri Tigers, becoming a two-time All-American and Big 12 Conference champion.

Early life

Woodley was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri. The eleventh of thirteen children, he was raised by his mother after his father left the family early in his life. In high school, he was a two-sport athlete, competing in American football and amateur wrestling. Woodley won the Missouri 4A Men’s State Championship in 2000 in the 160 lb weight class.

After graduating from McCluer High School in 2000, Woodley attended University of Missouri and joined their wrestling program. There, he became a two-time All-American; once in 2003 and again in 2005. Woodley graduated from the university in 2005 with a major in Agricultural Economics.

Mixed martial arts career

Woodley fought his first professional fight on February 7, 2009 against Steve Schnider. It was held by Headhunter Productions at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri. Woodley won via submission in the first round.

Woodley's second professional bout was against Jeff Carstens on April 30, 2009. He won the bout via submission in the first round.

Strikeforce

Woodley made his Strikeforce debut against Sal Woods in St. Louis, Missouri. The fight was at the event Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6, 2009. Woodley won the fight by submission late in round one. After the win, Strikeforce signed Woodley to a six-fight deal.

Woodley made his second appearance for Strikeforce on the Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings card. He defeated Zach Light via submission in the second round.

On the Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears card, Woodley had his third fight for Strikeforce, defeating Rudy Bears via arm-triangle submission.

Woodley's next bout was against Nathan Coy at Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey in Portland, Oregon. He won via split decision.

On October 9, 2010, at Strikeforce: San Jose, Woodley defeated André Galvão via knockout midway in the first round.

Woodley fought Tarec Saffiedine on January 7, 2011, in Nashville, Tennessee at Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine. Woodley won the fight via unanimous decision. After the win, Woodley was signed to a contract extension with Strikeforce.

At Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, Woodley replaced Evangelista Santos and fought Paul Daley. Woodley defeated Daley via unanimous decision.

Woodley then fought Canadian prospect Jordan Mein at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. Woodley won via split decision.

Woodley faced Nate Marquardt on July 14, 2012, at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. He lost the fight via KO in the fourth round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Debut

Woodley faced Jay Hieron on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156 in his promotional debut, replacing an injured Erick Silva. Woodley won the fight via KO at just 36 seconds of the opening round.

Woodley faced Jake Shields on June 15, 2013, at UFC 161. Woodley lost the fight via split decision.

Woodley next faced off against Josh Koscheck at UFC 167 on November 16, 2013. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win also earned him his first Knockout of the Night bonus award.

Woodley next faced former Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit at UFC 171. Woodley won via TKO after Condit suffered a knee injury in the second round.

On April 8, 2014, Woodley's new eight-fight contract with the UFC was announced alongside his match against Rory MacDonald at UFC 174. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Woodley next faced Dong Hyun Kim on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 48, replacing Héctor Lombard. He won the fight via TKO early in the first round. The win also earned Woodley his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Woodley faced Kelvin Gastelum on January 31, 2015, at UFC 183 in a catchweight bout after Gastelum failed to make the welterweight limit. He won the fight via split decision.

Woodley was expected to face Johny Hendricks on October 3, 2015, at UFC 192. It was announced on October 2, 2015, that Hendricks was forced out of the fight due to complications with weight cutting.

UFC Welterweight Championship

Woodley faced welterweight champion Robbie Lawler on July 30, 2016, in the main event at UFC 201. He won the fight via knockout halfway through the first round to claim the UFC Welterweight Championship. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Woodley made his first title defense against Stephen Thompson on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205. The fight ended in a majority draw with two judges scoring the fight 47–47 and the third 48–47 in favor of Woodley. Subsequently, both fighters were awarded Fight of the Night bonus awards.

The rematch with Thompson took place on March 4, 2017, in the main event at UFC 209. It was another closely contested bout with Woodley winning via majority decision.

For his third title defense, Woodley faced Demian Maia on July 29, 2017, in the co-main event at UFC 214. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Woodley stated after the contest that he had torn his labrum in his right shoulder in the opening round. Woodley would later have reconstructive surgery to repair the damage.

Woodley next defended the UFC Welterweight Championship against Darren Till on September 8, 2018, at UFC 228. He won the fight via submission in the second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. Woodley also received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in the cage from Din Thomas following his victory. Woodley also gave Till his first loss in MMA.

In the fifth defense of his welterweight title, Woodley faced Kamaru Usman on March 2, 2019, in the co-main event at UFC 235. Woodley was dominated for the entire fight and lost by unanimous decision, ending his nearly three-year reign as welterweight champion.

Post Championship

A rematch with Robbie Lawler was expected to take place on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3. On May 16, 2019, it was reported that Woodley suffered a hand injury and was pulled from the fight.

Woodley was scheduled to face Leon Edwards on March 21, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards. However, the restrictions related to COVID-19 forced Edwards to withdraw as the event was meant to be moved from London to the United States, and the event was subsequently postponed indefinitely.

Woodley faced Gilbert Burns on May 30, 2020, in the main event at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns. Woodley would again be dominated for most of the fight and lose via unanimous decision.

Woodley fought at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley against longtime rival Colby Covington on September 19, 2020. Similar to his past two fights, Woodley was dominated for four rounds, and eventually the bout was called as a technical knockout after he tapped out during the fifth round due to a rib injury.

Woodley faced Vicente Luque on March 27, 2021, at UFC 260. Uncharacteristically, Woodley came out swinging aggressively early into the bout, and after rocking Luque and being rocked himself multiple times on the feet, he was defeated by D'Arce choke in round one. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Weeks later, it was announced that Woodley had fought out his contract after eight years competing in the promotion.

Professional boxing career

Paul vs. Woodley

Before the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren main event took place, Woodley was involved in a backstage situation with Jake Paul and J'Leon Love, where he was mocked due to his inexperience in boxing and the result of Paul's bout against Woodley's long–time teammate Ben Askren was discussed. After Paul knocked out Askren, Woodley called out Paul. On May 31, 2021, news surfaced that Woodley had been scheduled to make his professional boxing debut against internet personality Jake Paul on August 29, 2021. Woodley became the first man to take Paul past the second round in his professional career, but ultimately lost by split decision. One judge scored the fight 77–75 for Woodley, while the other two judges scored it 77–75 and 78–74 in favor of Paul.

Paul vs. Woodley II

On December 6, 2021, Woodley hopped in to replace Tommy Fury for a rematch with Jake Paul on December 18. After a back-and-forth bout, Woodley was knocked out in the sixth round. At the time of the stoppage, Woodley was behind on the scorecards 49–46 (twice) and 48–47.

Other ventures

Woodley has pursued acting in his spare time and played roles in both Straight Outta Compton, Kickboxer: Vengeance and Sultan, the latter being an Indian movie directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. He also appears in several fight scenes of Escape Plan 2: Hades. Woodley also appeared on Season 5 of the Netflix show Cobra Kai.

Additionally, he hosts a podcast called "Morning Wood with Deez Nutz" and a weekly internet web show on TMZ called "The Hollywood Beatdown".

Personal life

Tyron has four children. He has said that his goal is to open a non-profit facility for troubled youths one day. When his hometown of Ferguson, Missouri engaged in civil unrest after the shooting of Michael Brown, Woodley publicly condemned the rioting and lootings that took place.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

  • Ultimate Fighting Championship
    • UFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
      • Four successful title defenses
    • Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Josh Koscheck
    • Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Dong Hyun Kim, Robbie Lawler and Darren Till
    • Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque
  • Strikeforce
    • 2010 Rising Star of the Year

Wrestling

  • Missouri State High School Activities Association
    • MSHSAA All-State (1999, 2000)
  • National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • National High School Coaches Association
    • NHSCA Senior All-American (2000)
  • Real Pro Wrestling
    • RPW 84 kg Northern Regional Championship (2006)
  • USA Wrestling
    • United States University Freestyle National Championship Runner-up (2006)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
27 matches 19 wins 7 losses
By knockout 7 2
By submission 5 1
By decision 7 4
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 19–7–1 Vicente Luque Submission (brabo choke) UFC 260 March 27, 2021 1 3:56 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 19–6–1 Colby Covington TKO (rib injury) UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley September 19, 2020 5 1:19 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 19–5–1 Gilbert Burns Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns May 30, 2020 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 19–4–1 Kamaru Usman Decision (unanimous) UFC 235 March 2, 2019 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Lost the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 19–3–1 Darren Till Submission (brabo choke) UFC 228 September 8, 2018 2 4:19 Dallas, Texas, United States Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win 18–3–1 Demian Maia Decision (unanimous) UFC 214 July 29, 2017 5 5:00 Anaheim, California, United States Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 17–3–1 Stephen Thompson Decision (majority) UFC 209 March 4, 2017 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Defended the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Draw 16–3–1 Stephen Thompson Draw (majority) UFC 205 November 12, 2016 5 5:00 New York City, New York, United States Retained the UFC Welterweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win 16–3 Robbie Lawler KO (punches) UFC 201 July 30, 2016 1 2:12 Atlanta, Georgia, United States Won the UFC Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night.
Win 15–3 Kelvin Gastelum Decision (split) UFC 183 January 31, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (180 lb) bout; Gastelum missed weight.
Win 14–3 Dong Hyun Kim TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le August 23, 2014 1 1:01 Macau, SAR, China Performance of the Night.
Loss 13–3 Rory MacDonald Decision (unanimous) UFC 174 June 14, 2014 3 5:00 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win 13–2 Carlos Condit TKO (leg kick) UFC 171 March 15, 2014 2 2:00 Dallas, Texas, United States
Win 12–2 Josh Koscheck KO (punches) UFC 167 November 16, 2013 1 4:38 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Knockout of the Night.
Loss 11–2 Jake Shields Decision (split) UFC 161 June 15, 2013 3 5:00 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win 11–1 Jay Hieron KO (punches) UFC 156 February 2, 2013 1 0:36 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 10–1 Nate Marquardt KO (elbows and punches) Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy July 14, 2012 4 1:39 Portland, Oregon, United States For the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship.
Win 10–0 Jordan Mein Decision (split) Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine January 7, 2012 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Paul Daley Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson July 30, 2011 3 5:00 Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States
Win 8–0 Tarec Saffiedine Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine January 7, 2011 3 5:00 Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Win 7–0 André Galvão KO (punches) Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II October 9, 2010 1 1:48 San Jose, California, United States
Win 6–0 Nathan Coy Decision (split) Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey May 21, 2010 3 5:00 Portland, Oregon, United States
Win 5–0 Rudy Bears Submission (arm-triangle choke) Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears November 20, 2009 1 2:52 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win 4–0 Zach Light Submission (armbar) Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings September 25, 2009 2 3:38 Bixby, Oklahoma, United States
Win 3–0 Salvador Woods Submission (brabo choke) Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields June 6, 2009 1 4:20 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Win 2–0 Jeff Carstens Submission (rear-naked choke) Respect Is Earned: Brotherly Love Brawl April 30, 2009 1 0:48 Oaks, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 1–0 Steve Schnider TKO (submission to punches) Headhunter Productions: The Patriot Act 1 February 7, 2009 1 1:09 Columbia, Missouri, United States

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
2 fights 0 wins 2 losses
By knockout 0 1
By decision 0 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
2 Loss 0–2 Jake Paul KO 6 (8) 2:12 Dec 18, 2021 Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
1 Loss 0–1 Jake Paul SD 8 Aug 29, 2021 Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Pay-per-view bouts

MMA

No. Event Fight Date Venue City PPV Buys
1 UFC 201 Lawler vs Woodley July 30, 2016 Philips Arena Atlanta, Georgia, United States 240,000
2 UFC 209 Woodley vs Thompson 2 March 4, 2017 T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 300,000
3 UFC 228 Woodley vs Till September 8, 2018 American Airlines Center Dallas, Texas, United States 130,000
Total 670,000

Boxing

No. Date Fight Billing Buys Network Revenue
1 August 29, 2021 Paul vs. Woodley N/A 500,000 Showtime $29,900,000
2 December 18, 2021 Paul vs. Woodley 2 Leave No Doubt 200,000 Showtime N/A
Total 700,000 $29,900,000

NCAA record

No. Event Fight Date Venue City
NCAA Championships Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event
2005 NCAA Championships 7th at 165 lbs
Loss 12–7 Matt Nagel OT 2–4 March 17–19, 2005 2005 NCAA Division I National Championships
Win 12–6 Justin Nestor MD 11–0
Loss 11–6 Mark Perry 0–3
Win 11–5 Mike Patrovich 6–1
Win 10–5 Donny Reynolds Fall
2003 NCAA Championships 8th at 165 lbs
Loss 9–5 Frank Edwards 0–3 March 20–22, 2003 2003 NCAA Division I National Championships
Loss 9–4 Matt King 1–4
Win 9–3 Noel Thompson 4–2
Loss 8–3 Jacob Volkmann 0–4
Win 8–2 Kevin Carr 12–5
Win 7–2 Nick Nemeth 7–2
2002 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs
Loss 6–2 Doc Vecchio OT 8–10 March 21–23, 2002 2002 NCAA Division I National Championships
Win 3–1 Carl Fronhofer 5–4
Win 2–1 Bill Boeh 12–7
Loss 1–1 Mark Fee Fall
Win 1–0 Scott Roth 8–6

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2013 Fight Life Himself
2015 Straight Outta Compton T-Bone
2016 Sultan Tyron Wrestler
2016 Kickboxer: Vengeance Fighter
2016 The Evolution of Punk Himself Documentary mini-series; appeared in the final episode
2016 Breakout Skinhead
2017 Office Uprising Mario Post-Production
2017 The Favorite Nick Post-Production
2017 Escape Plan 2: Hades Akala
2020 Cut Throat City Loser
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Bully Beatdown Himself Episode: "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow"
2017 The Night Shift Travis Episode: "Do No Harm"
2019 Hawaii Five-0 Kalino (Gunman 1) Episode: "E'ao lu'au a kualima"

"Offer Young Taro Leaves to"

2022 Cobra Kai Sensei Odel 5 episodes

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tyron Woodley para niños

  • List of male mixed martial artists
  • List of UFC bonus award recipients
  • List of UFC champions
  • Ultimate Fighting Championship Pound for Pound rankings
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