Coach: Woodley not being a ‘company man’ may be a problem now

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Wild

Zi Nazi
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Dec 31, 2014
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Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley was seemingly not his usual self during his fight against Kamaru Usman on Saturday at UFC 235. It was puzzling to see for his coaches, especially after seeing a change of demeanor a few seconds into the fight.

”He seemed focused and OK in the locker room,” Woodley’s coach Din Thomas told ESPN. “But 10 seconds into fight when he backed up to the fence, I said, ‘Oh no.’ And when he went for the guillotine and got taken down, I said, ‘Oh no,’ because that wasn’t something we practiced. That’s when I knew there might be a problem.”

The problem, according to Thomas, is a lack of motivation, which he believes is rooted to Woodley’s strained relationship with the UFC brass.

”Tyron, he’s kind of a martyr in a sense,” Thomas explained. “A lot of the things he’s fought for himself, will help future fighters. Standing up for himself and not accepting every deal, that might have hurt him now, but I think in the long run, it will be good for fighters in the future.

”He wasn’t a company man and he stood by his guns. He never settled for less than he felt he deserved. Now that he’s not the champ anymore, it may be a problem. I do think, had he fought Colby, he would have been more motivated to perform. I know that for a fact, actually."

Coach: Tyron Woodley not being a ‘company man,’ may be a problem after losing UFC belt
 

Jesus X

4 drink minimum.
Sep 7, 2015
28,766
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sucks that fighters have to be company men if it was legitimate sport the talent would elevate them to the top ,being a company man sounds more like a thing for actors or wwe wrestlers.
 

Dick Niaz

Yearning for TMMAC days gone by
Jan 14, 2018
12,279
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I respect a man whi sticks to their principles, but there is a way to do that without coming off like having a giant chip on your shoulder. You have to at least play the game. Tyron made his bed and will likely have an uphill climb back moving forward.
 

Atto

Chinese Virus
Feb 11, 2016
4,750
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There was nothing wrong, he was just looking for the knock out punch.
 

SuperPig

Enjoy yourselves
Aug 7, 2015
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I like that Tyrone made zero excuses for his loss.
In the lead up to this fight he seemed like a different human. Maybe it was because he had his buddy Askren with him so he was able to relax and not try to put on such a front.

I dunno what was different uthe definitely didn't make me hate him like he normally does.
 
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In the lead up to this fight he seemed like a different human. Maybe it was because he had his buddy Askren with him so he was able to relax and not try to put on such a front.

I dunno what was different uthe definitely didn't make me hate him like he normally does.
I think it's important to separate who someone is from what someone says on a stage, under the stress (or duress?) of getting ready to fight while millions of people watch. I'm no fan of his fights (except for the Till fight) but he ain't losin any sleep over it.
 
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Tiiimmmaaayyy

First 100 ish
Jan 19, 2015
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Din is right. He hasn't been a company man and it is going to cost him. I don't particularly like Tyron, but I respect when someone stands up for what they believe. However, there is a definite risk in not playing the game by the company rules. You can talk shit about the UFC, but it happens in every day life too. I have cost myself promotions because I can't "play the game".
 

SickEye

"Sim sala bim bamba sala do saladim"
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Jan 15, 2015
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I respect a man whi sticks to their principles, but there is a way to do that without coming off like having a giant chip on your shoulder. You have to at least play the game. Tyron made his bed and will likely have an uphill climb back moving forward.
Exactly.

To be fair, he did defend the belt a reasonable amount of times...but there was always some sort of reluctance and resistance on his part. Like he was trying to hold the belt hostage. I don't feel sorry for him one bit.