Woodley says he can move to middleweight, but only after beating Covington and Usman

T. Woodley (photo) has a record of 22 fights and 18 wins. (Photo: Reproduction Twitter ufc_brasil)

The former UFC welterweight (up to 77kg) champion, Tyron woodley, revealed that he could join the middleweight fighters (up to 70,3kg) soon. The athlete, however, guarantees that he has some commitments to fulfill in his current division, such as regaining his title, taken by Kamaru Usman earlier this year, and face the loudmouth, Colby covington, current challenger for the belt. The statement was made in a recent interview with 'MMA Junkie'.

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“After I get my belt and defend it, if I fight Usman and beat him, I'll give him a rematch. I can't deny him that. I have to give him a chance to regain the title. Then I'll face Colby, obviously. Then I’m aiming for middleweight, after all,” Woodley said.

Tyron debuted in Ultimate in February 2013 and managed to win the title just over three years later, in 2016. On that occasion, the North American got the belt by beating Robbie Lawler by knockout, at UFC 201. After the victory, Woodley consolidated himself as number one after defending the position on four occasions; one of them against the Brazilian Demian MaiaIn 2017.

Even though he is focused on achieving his feats in his current category, Tyron stated that his only motivations at welterweight are the fights against Covington and Kamaru. For the North American, the rest doesn't matter.

“Obviously, there will be a lot of emotion in the fight against Colby Covingoton. There will also be a lot of emotion in the duel against Usman. But, apart from these two commitments in the category, no other clash excites me more”, said the former champion.

Currently 37 years old, Tyron is ranked first in the division. Having been defeated by Kamaru in March, the athlete is not the board's first option as a challenger. The company's idea is to schedule the fight between the Nigerian and Colby. Negotiations, however, have run into financial issues, which has even led to the fight, speculated to be the main fight of the UFC 244, was removed from the intentions.

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