Since becoming the UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley has been campaigning for a major fight. After an impressive title defense against Darren Till at UFC 228 , Woodley called out former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre. Unfortunately, St-Pierre doesn’t have any interest in challenging Woodley, saying that it doesn’t do enough for his legacy.
Still, Tyron Woodley is not giving up on his dream and now has a new target in mind. Speaking with TMZ Sports , Woodley said that he is interested in fighting the winner of the upcoming UFC 229 fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I’ll be there. I’ll be working the desk,” Woodley said, as transcribed by MMA Fighting . “I would think that if Khabib’s really about that action, he’s going to do what he says and it’s going to be really tough for Conor to have any lead in that arm to throw that knockout punch in the fourth or fifth round, so I would say Khabib [wins]. But just for selfish purposes, if Conor wins, then the only fight that makes sense is for him to fight me. Try to get a third belt.”
Like the popular prediction for UFC 229 , Tyron Woodley also believes that UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has an advantage over Conor McGregor, mainly because of his formidable defense and incredible ground fight. However, for Woodley, he wants McGregor to win and challenge him for the UFC welterweight belt.
Morning Report: Tyron Woodley: A fight with Conor McGregor ‘makes sense’ if McGregor wins at UFC 229 ( @jedkmeshew ) https://t.co/6Ic7n2sKb4 pic.twitter.com/VUe5O2tzzX
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) September 25, 2018
Tyron Woodley said that fighting Conor McGregor will good for his bank account and his legacy. If ever they face each other in the Octagon, Woodley is very confident that he can easily beat McGregor since he mostly relies on his incredible striking force. Woodley said that his opponent needs to master a different set of skills in order to beat him in a fight.
Conor McGregor has already fought in the welterweight division twice when he faced Nate Diaz. When “The Notorious” succeeded in stealing the belt from Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 , there were speculations that he would be aiming for his third belt. Unfortunately, after winning the lightweight title, McGregor went on a lengthy hiatus that included a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
As of now, it remains unknown if Conor McGregor has any interest in fighting Tyron Woodley after his UFC 229 bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Even if McGregor grants his wish, the fight won’t be happening anytime soon since Woodley is set to undergo a surgery in his hand that is expected to keep him on the sideline for up to 12 weeks.
