Woodley: McGregor shouldn’t try for welterweight
Woodley says McGregor is too smart to take a fight with him at Welterweight, assuming they are both victorious at UFC 205.
Well first off I think Conor is a smart individual and he knows that fighting me is not going to be good for his health. I just do not really see him wanting that fight…Even if he loses to Eddie it is not all bad. With his two bouts with Diaz, he will have now fought three times in a row outside the division and he still holds the belt. So he is a smart business guy and so I do not think he is going to want to come up and fight a guy who is going to outsize him. Being 170 and fighting 170 is two different things. I walk around at 200. Giving up that 30-pounds…Plus he is not going to have a boxing advantage. He is definitely not going to have a wrestling advantage. He is definitely not going to have a strength advantage. And it would be a lopsided display of power. I just really do not think there is any advantage to him having that fight with me. I will not be discouraged by his antics or him talking crap..But if we both get through our fights with victories and he wants to fight me then by all means. Sign me up now. I would actually feel bad about beating Conor McGregor. Like man, I just beat a guy who is 145. Granted, I would make a truck load of money. But it is not a situation that I would walk around with my chest pumped out afterward.
UFC 205 Embedded: Vlog Series – Episode 3
In the latest episode of UFC Embedded, McGregor talks to fans, including a policewoman, checks out his luxury ride and takes it on a high-end shopping trip Thompson packs for his trip as opponent Woodley gets out the vote, and Alvarez heads to Connecticut for a day of media at ESPN.
UFC Embedded – Episode 5
UFC releases Episode 5 of UFC 205 Embedded. Woodley visits the New York Giants at work, meeting Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr. among others. Alvarez suits up for the UFC 205 press conference at Madison Square Garden, where McGregor arrives late. The video shows more detail of the ‘chair incident’. The action moves to backstage where Jedrzejczyk lambasts opponent Karolina Kowalkiewicz, who responds with a finger. Alvarez:
Take that stupid ass coat off.
McGregor stares down Woodley
When Woodley enters the official weigh in room, he says something to McGregor, causing the Irishman to stare him down for several seconds.
Tyron Woodley and Conor McGregor share a moment at #ufc205 official weigh-ins pic.twitter.com/unizJAwzKd
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) November 11, 2016
McGregor confronts Woodley backstage
McGregor confronts Woodley backstage after the
You’re like a woman with that phone. F-ckin’ bitch.
Conor McGregor Confronts Tyron Woodley Backstage pic.twitter.com/78PY9lk9sl
— Conor McGregor News (@ConormcGregor5) November 12, 2016
Woodley, McGregor twitter spat
McGregor and Woodley get into a Twitter spat where McGregor calls Woodley a bitch multiple times.
Dude Im not them guys u deal w Homie! I'll forget the fight 💩 & go Ferguson! Focus on Eddie & never call me a Bitch again.
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) November 11, 2016
bitch
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 11, 2016
‘If McGregor wants to fight we can sign it right now’
At the post UFC 205 press conference Woodley talks about fighting McGregor.
I’m mean to be straight honest. Conor McGregor is a guy that fought at 145, ever in his life. I haven’t weighed 145 since my sophomore year in high school. He’s tall, got long arms, got good timing, and can place good punches. I’m 100% positive he’s not been hit with the shots I’ll hit him with. I just don’t think Conor understands the pressure I can put on him, the power I can put on him, and all the different attacks. I think it’s good for media. If he wants to fight, we can sign it right now. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for him to fight me.
Believes McGregor can beat Woodley
When asked by a fan on Twitter, Jones says McGregor can beat Woodley.
I'm not saying Connor would win, I'm saying he could win if wood doesn't use all the tools he's capable of https://t.co/qFe8sVrKR7
— BONY (@JonnyBones) November 15, 2016
‘McGregor just dances around the subject of fighting me’
Woodley talks about the pair of incidents he had with McGregor at UFC 205.
I think he was trying to bait me. But the hook was taken and he didn’t do nothing with it…Before the video came out. The one he was upset about. Even though he did the shit. Don’t do it and then be mad that somebody video taped it. Anyway, even before my video came out that showed where he faked tossing the chair. Before that video came out, at the press conference he said ‘I’ll take all of those belts over there!’. So I said ‘What belts?’. And then he was quiet and didn’t say much. Never once would he mention my belt. He never would mention fighting for the welterweight title. He just danced around the subject. He never once would say ‘I will fight Tyron Woodley’. Or ‘I will take his belt’. He started planting those seeds later. I saw him doing it and was like ‘Hell yeah! I’ll plant those seeds with you.
Thompson: McGregor’s ‘too small for the 170 division’
Thompson says he is not worried about a rematch with Woodley, and that McGregor is too small to fight at 170 pounds.
Not at all (worried), man. To be honest with you, I think the UFC knows that I deserve that title shot, that I deserve that rematch. And you know what, I think that Conor McGregor’s gotta defend the 145 and the 155 title and I just think he’s too small for the 170 division. I mean, he’s walking around right at 170, maybe a little bit less. I don’t think it would be a good division for him to step up to…I think it would be a good fight no matter what. I mean, he is one of the best fighters out there and that’s what we’re out to do. We’re out to fight the best fighters in whatever division, whoever steps up…He’s already out there talking trash to Tyron and doing his thing, doing what Conor McGregor does…People show up just to see him just act nuts. Hats off to that guy, he’s a very intelligent, very smart guy.
Roddy: Woodley or Diaz ideal for next McGregor fight
McGregor’s striking coach says he would like to see him fight for a third belt, preferring Woodley or Diaz over Nurmagomedov. Roddy:
Maybe [Tyron] Woodley,. For me, for him to go up and compete for a third belt [welterweight], maybe Woodley. [Nate] Diaz again is another great one. I think it’s what fans would want to see. They want to see something special again, the Diaz fight again is special. The Woodley fight is special…You can’t really doubt Khabib at this stage. He’s a phenomenal grappler and a phenomenal wrestler. But I don’t know whether the excitement is there, you know? Obviously for Conor it’s about the pay-per-views. It’s about the money. Whether Khabib will hit the pay-per-views for him I just don’t know…He poses a different threat so it would be good to sort of work out what strikes are going to land on him. He can be hit as well, I will say that. He got hit a bit in his last fight.
Kavanagh: Woodley ‘not Goliath’
Kavanagh says McGregor could beat Woodley:
…I don’t see what other people are saying, ‘There’s no way Conor can touch this guy.’ There is. No one is perfect. There’s openings there. Of course, he’s a bigger man, he’s got more power and you’ve gotta be super careful. But Conor trains with big guys like this…He’s not enormous. He’s not some Goliath man. He’s a little bit bigger. Conor would have reach on him, he would have technique on him in the striking, for sure. He’d have to of course deal with that power. … I certainly don’t in my head go, ‘Oh my God, no. We couldn’t possibly beat him.’ It’s a doable fight.
Woodley: McGregor’s boxing licence ‘not a bluff’
Woodley says McGregor is not bluffing about boxing.
I don’t know if it’s a punk thing. If it’s something he’s doing, y’know [trying to] show the UFC that he’s the boss. He just ‘relinquished’ his featherweight title, which I don’t think he wanted two belts just to give one up. But, I don’t know what his motives are. For the fans and people who are thinking that this is a bluff, it’s not really a bluff. If Conor decided that ‘I wanna walk and take this $100 million fight with Floyd Mayweather’, no-one, including myself could knock him for doing that. Or [saying] ‘ah, he’s scared to fight’. That’s not really anything…I think [A fight with Mayweather] can be way more interesting than people realise. I can’t just see Floyd Mayweather going out there and just knocking Conor out in the first couple rounds. Conor McGregor, man, he does have some really good timing. If you watch him in his fights, and slow it down a few times. He’s slipping inside, outside. That four piece he hit Eddie Alvarez with, that was one of the slickest combinations I’ve seen in a very long time.
Woodley starts social media campaign for McGregor fight
Woodley starts a social media campaign asking McGregor fans to hashtag their posts with #AskKenny or #AskTyron if they want to see a McGregor-Woodley fight.
For all you @TheNotoriousMMA fans Hashtag #AskKenny or #AskTyron if you want to see this scrap #ufc
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) December 4, 2016
Woodley: McGregor almost ‘brought out the Ferguson in me’
Woodley says McGregor’s backstage confrontation with him at UFC 205 brought out memories of his hometown of Ferguson.
When he got in my face and I looked at him I said, ‘what’s up?’ At that moment he realized I ain’t that dude. I’m really about that life. I’m really from that life. My family is from that life. I’m actually one of the sharper tools in the box that haven’t been in the streets like that but I have family members, close loved ones, that that’s all they know. So I’ve been around that a lot and I try not to take myself back to those dark areas, I try to stay sophisticated, stay professional but a few people can take you out of that element and bring that Ferguson back out of you and he almost did it.
And urges McGregor to bring it on:
if Conor want it he can get it. He knows how to get in touch with Dana [White], he knows how to get the contract set, and he really don’t want to fight. I’m not saying he should want to fight because I’m not a little dude. I ain’t Nate Diaz. Nate Diaz is not a welterweight. He did not do well at welterweight because he was undersized and these dudes are real gorillas in this weight class…When you come up to this weight brother, it’s real power, it’s real people that will put real hands on you, that’ll put you down to the canvas and you will not get up unless I let you up.
Abdelaziz: McGregor will fight Woodley next
Abdelaziz, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, says that McGregor’s next fight will be against Woodley at welterweight (170 pounds). He also says Dana White’s comments about McGregor being “too small” to fight at that weight are part of a negotiating strategy.
Let me make a prediction: McGregor’s next fight is going to be Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title. This is the fight that’s going to happen. Every sign is this is going to happen.
Bisping, Woodley verbally agree to fight
Bisping shares a video of him debating Woodley over a potential fight, before agreeing on a catchweight fight at 180-pounds perhaps taking place in April or May next year. The verbal agreement isn’t necessarily official, as it’s up to the UFC to book their fighters.
TW: We’re fighting!
MB: Bro, really?
TW: What weight?
MB: Whatever weight you wanna do.
TW: 180. What do you weigh?
MB: More than you little guy.
TW: I weigh 200
MB: How about 210?
TW: You hear that? 180 me and Bisping
MB: 180. But then no belts on the line
TW: No belts f-ck that!
MB: Superfight for the f-ckin’ <inaudible>
TW: What month?
MB: May?
TW: I’m 100% serious
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOvGaFWhRNL/
Woodley vs. Thompson set for UFC 209
Woodley says he will fight Thompson at UFC 209 on March 4:
He got under my skin so much, that you know what. I’m just gonna go ahead and fight this dude. Like straight up. He got under my skin that bad, that I don’t even care about the ration, the money and what fight makes most sense. You need to be careful what you ask for. Wonderboy, you want it? Come get it. You wanna get done worse than you did the last time? Like, some people gotta be real careful. You can lit weights, you can gain weight, it don’t matter. You’re not going to make up for twenty years of wrestling, you’re not going to make up for sheer athleticism, power, conditioning and hunger. Those things are just in you.
Thompson:
To me, he’s just not acting like a champion. It was a draw. He even said that we have unfinished business, but it seems like he’s just calling out everybody else but me. He’s called out Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz, Demian Maia. He’s even gone to the point where he wanted to go up a weight class to fight Bisping. It’s like the bully in the room and he’s looking for everybody else who he probably knows aren’t going to fight him.
https://soundcloud.com/morningwoodshow/ep-43-ufc-champion-tyron-woodley-reveals-his-next-opponent
Woodley: McGregor can last a couple of rounds, but will lose against Mayweather
Woodley says McGregor can survive in the ring against Mayweather.
I think it is going to happen this year. I have very strong insights that it will happen.Conor is from a karate background; he’s a striker by nature. He could probably last a couple of rounds… He will lose. He will lose convincingly but he could last at least six rounds. “Conor has been known to take some crazy punches with 4-ounce gloves on. If you hit him with 8-ounce gloves on, it’s a different thing.
Thompson does McGregor ‘billy walk’ impression
Thompson and Woodley play a game of charades on UFC on Fox.
