The war of words between former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya continues.
Last week, Woodley outlined his plans for the next couple of years of his career, which included reclaiming the welterweight title and then moving up to middleweight to become the UFC’s fifth ever ‘champ-champ’. In so doing, Woodley also threw a little shade at the middleweight champion, saying Adesanya is “scared of guys with power”. That in turn sparked indignation from Adesanya who mocked Woodley for losing to another Nigerian fighter, current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The two have been sniping at each other ever since and the beef does not seem to be ending. anytime soon as Woodley recently renewed his attacks on Adesanya on his Hollywood Beatdown show on TMZ Sports.
“In addition to trying to stay ‘rona free, I’m trying to stay f*ckboy free too, and it seems like there’s a lot of that going on in the UFC,” Woodley said.
“Israel Adesanya, we can start with him because he’s probably got the most juice right now out of all the fighters. . . So the question that was posed to me - and it’s been asked many, many times - would I ever move up to go to middleweight? And my answer is yes. My answer’s gonna be yes whether Israel’s f*cking sitting next to me, it’s gonna be yes whether Dana asks me, or a f*cking person from around the corner, Sam sausage-head from the alley. No matter who asks me, I’m gonna say yes because if you want to be one of the best fighters on Earth, you have to fight the best. Many fighters have bumped up weight classes, dropped down weight classes, and shuffle around to prove that they’re the baddest man alive. They’ve done it in boxing, they’ve done it in mixed martial arts, you see that theme that fighters are trying to attack that double belt in the UFC. So of course.
“How many times have I said that Israel Adesanya, he’s a stud, he’s a star, and given him kudos? A lot. So I think he took it personal. He’s really sensitive and when somebody starts getting in their feelings - I had the same situation with Robbie Lawler - that means there’s a little b*tch in the blood, and now I want to test it out.”
Woodley and Lawler were involved in a fair amount of drama before their title fight at UFC 201 as both were teammates at American Top Team.
Woodley famously knocked out Robbie Lawler to claim the UFC welterweight title in a fight that was preceded by a good amount of drama as at the time. Lawler and Woodley were teammates at American Top Team and tensions mounted as the fight came into being. Of course, Woodley went on to knock out Lawler and claim the welterweight title and he thinks something similar could happen if he ever did get to square up with Adesanya.
“When I look at Israel Adesanya, I got to look at his weakness. And his weakness may not be something that we’ve seen exploited, but it’s something that he’s protecting,” Woodley said. “It’s a reason why he fights so hard after getting taken down, it’s a reason why he wants to keep the fight standing: because that’s what he does best. But look at the fight against Kelvin Gastelum. Kelvin Gastelum, for much of that fight, was winning. I don’t know if you recall when I fought Kelvin ‘Fatselum’ but I fought him when he was at middleweight and I was at welterweight and my fight didn’t look nothing like that. I came out there, face clean, broke my foot in the first round, and I made pretty easy work of Kelvin Gastelum. That was a Fight of the Year candidate. That tells me that if I’m a better striker than Gastelum, I punch harder than Gastelum, I’m a better wrestler than Gastelum, I have a better I.Q. than Gastelum and I can be - you’ve got to think about me taking you down, you’ve got to think about me knocking you out, you’ve got to think about me submitting you, you’ve got to think about me making you miss, you’ve got to think about my explosiveness. I’m gonna give you so many things to think about and he’s already sensitive, and he’s already in his feelings, so I feel confident about the fight.”
Of course for now, this is all just chin music. Adesanya will ostensibly face top contender Paulo Costa next and Woodley maintains that he’s still more interested in reclaiming the welterweight strap. But if Adesanya successfully defends his title against Costa, Woodley says “The Last Stylebender” knows how to find him.
“Israel, quit being a little b*tch, quit being whiny,” Woodley concluded. “If you ever want to do it, you know how to get in touch with me. I ain’t hard to find.”
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VIDEO STEW
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LISTEN UP
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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Damn those scientists and their confounded logic!
Man I’m telling you if you and tour BS negative media are gonna help screw another event over I’ll be pissed.
— Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori) April 30, 2020
You think you’ll help the fighters doing that? Preparing like crazy for nothing again??? It’s happening. Boom. That’s it. https://t.co/v4VGijq5pR
STFU!
— Herbert Burns (@HerbertBurnsMMA) May 1, 2020
Again people are trying their best to pressure for a UFC cancellation!@ufc and @danawhite are going to take every single precaution necessary for the health of everyone involved with the event. I bet anyone at the UFC event will be safer than a person going to the grocery. https://t.co/NSjHpy8eMT
A fight.
5/16 @brianboom135 ? I call bullshit @JasonKHouse @ufc https://t.co/ddEoomnnBN
— Cody Stamann (@CodyStamann) April 30, 2020
I got hunter azure first man. Got you next !
— Brian Kelleher (@brianboom135) April 30, 2020
Sings a song about fight island. Calls out the whole division for a short notice fight 5/16 at 145. Then turns down the first guy to step up. @seanshelby @ufc @jasonhouse @danawhite https://t.co/WjPTzCreKV
— Cody Stamann (@CodyStamann) April 30, 2020
I’m not turning you down though lol I already have a fight in the works. I heard you like guillotines though. Don’t worry got you next
— Brian Kelleher (@brianboom135) April 30, 2020
Your plan is to guillotine me? Where do I sign! You don’t have shit in the works. You just know how this ends. #twitterwarrior
— Cody Stamann (@CodyStamann) May 1, 2020
Not bad.
Bring my belt skinny pic.twitter.com/sLu7WRK0Vv
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) May 1, 2020
Chiesa wants to see MVP get murdered.
MVP vs Izzy https://t.co/pYouSm6p0O
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) May 1, 2020
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Darren Elkins (24-8) vs. Nate Landwehr(13-3), UFC Fight Night, May 16.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks for reading and see y’all on Monday.
EXIT POLL
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