Ask fight fan what the toughest division in mixed martial arts is, and chances are you will get one of two answers: welterweight or lightweight. Both divisions are packed with contenders galore who are snapping at the heels of the champions. At welterweight, one of the men barking the loudest is Tyron Woodley. However, the former Big 12 wrestler finds himself in an interesting position within the 170-pound division. One night he looks like a smashing machine, and the next he fights in a way that leaves everyone perplexed. And as the UFC prepares to close out 2014 and welcome in 2015, Woodley has his work cut out for him if he’s going to earn a shot at the welterweight title.
Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 48, Woodley needed only 61 seconds to put Dong Hyun Kim to sleep with a violent counter hook. That win pushed his record to 14-3, but it still didn’t do much to remove the bad taste that his performance at UFC 174 left in the mouths of MMA fans and media members alike. He rebounded from that defeat with the knockout win, but he still hasn’t done enough to be considered one of the true top contenders for the UFC’s welterweight title.
The title is due to be contested sometime in early 2015 when Johny Hendricks defends the belt against Woodley’s teammate Robbie Lawler. But unfortunately for the UFC, title fights don’t always go down as planned, so the promotion needs to be ready with contingency plans just in case the injury bug decides to sting one of its fighters once again. Should Lawler fall off the card, matchmakers need to be ready with a replacement fighter. Rory MacDonald, who is ranked number two by the UFC at this time, is due to face Tarec Saffiedine at UFC Fight Night 54, and all it takes is one slip up for the promotion to have to reshuffle the deck completely. Woodley would be one of the names “in the mix” for being bumped into the title slot. However, unlike Lawler and MacDonald, there remain doubts about whether the St. Louis native has done enough to distinguish himself as a viable option for contention.
When Woodley was in Strikeforce, the prevailing perception about him was that he was nothing more than what mainstream fans would call a “boring wrestler.” That situation has changed since he jumped to the Octagon, as all of his wins have been via some sort of finish, three of which were in the first round. However, the listless way he fought MacDonald reminded fans that it is still possible for him to fall back into that slow, plodding style that has frustrated viewers in the past. One had better believe that the UFC takes these ideas into consideration when working to create title matchups that might entice fans to watch. The fights where Woodley has blown opponents away have not overshadowed the concerns about “T-Wood” putting up a stinker, so he’ll need to do much more to set himself up for an opportunity to challenge for the title.
Woodley and Hendricks have unfinished business that goes back to their days in the Big 12. “The Chosen One” followed “Big Rigg” to the mixed martial arts cage, and now there is a potential for their rivalry to be rekindled. However, before that can happen, Woodley needs to demonstrate that he can be a big name in the UFC welterweight division. His wins thus far have started to make the case, but he needs an emphatic high-profile win to solidify it, and break through as a credible and marketable title challenger. He might be in the title picture, but he has yet to truly become the focal point. For his sake, let’s hope that he can reach that point in his career before his window closes, and that his worthiness for a title shot cannot be denied by the decision-makers in the UFC.
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UFC Fight Night 48: Le vs. Bisping took place on August 23, 2014 at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena in Macau, China.
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