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