| Tyron Woodley | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Woodley in 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Born | Tyron Lakent Woodley[1] (1982-04-07)April 7, 1982 (age 42) Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Nickname | The Chosen One | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) | ||||||||||||||
| Division | Welterweight (MMA) Cruiserweight (boxing) | ||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Team | Roufusport American Top Team ATT Evolution | ||||||||||||||
| Rank | Black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2]underDin Thomas[3] | ||||||||||||||
| Wrestling | NCAADivision IWrestling[4] | ||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2006–2021 (MMA) 2021 (boxing) | ||||||||||||||
| Professional boxing record | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Losses | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 27 | ||||||||||||||
| Wins | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| By submission | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| By decision | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Losses | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| By submission | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| By decision | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Amateur record | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Wins | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Losses | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||
| University | University of Missouri | ||||||||||||||
| Boxing record fromBoxRec | |||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Tyron Lakent Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American professionalmixed martial artist[5] andprofessional boxer. He is a formerUFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times.[6] A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed atStrikeforce and was anNCAA Division Icollegiate wrestler for theMissouri Tigers, becoming a two-timeAll-American andBig 12 Conference champion.[7]
Woodley was born and raised inFerguson, Missouri. The eleventh of thirteen children, he was raised by his mother after his father left the family early in his life. In high school, he was a two-sport athlete, competing inAmerican football andamateur wrestling.[8][9] Woodley won the Missouri 4A State Wrestling Championship in 2000, at the 160 lb weight class.
After graduating fromMcCluer High School in 2000, Woodley attendedUniversity of Missouri and joined their wrestling program. There, he became a two-time All-American; once in 2003 and again in 2005.[10] Woodley graduated from the university in 2005 with a major inAgricultural Economics.[11]
Woodley fought his first professional fight on February 7, 2009 against Steve Schnider. It was held by Headhunter Productions at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center inColumbia, Missouri. Woodley won via submission in the first round.[12]
Woodley's second professional bout was against Jeff Carstens on April 30, 2009. He won the bout via submission in the first round.[13]
Woodley made hisStrikeforce debut against Sal Woods inSt. Louis, Missouri.[14] The fight was at the eventStrikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6, 2009. Woodley won the fight by submission late in round one. After the win,Strikeforce signed Woodley to a six-fight deal.[15]
Woodley made his second appearance forStrikeforce on theStrikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings card.[16] He defeated Zach Light via submission in the second round.[17]
On theStrikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears card, Woodley had his third fight forStrikeforce, defeatingRudy Bears via arm-triangle submission.[18][19][20]
Woodley's next bout was againstNathan Coy atStrikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey inPortland, Oregon.[21] He won via split decision.[22]
On October 9, 2010, atStrikeforce: San Jose, Woodley defeatedAndré Galvão via knockout midway in the first round.[23]
Woodley foughtTarec Saffiedine on January 7, 2011, inNashville, Tennessee atStrikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine.[24] Woodley won the fight via unanimous decision. After the win, Woodley was signed to a contract extension withStrikeforce.[25]
AtStrikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, Woodley replacedEvangelista Santos and foughtPaul Daley.[26] Woodley defeated Daley via unanimous decision.[27][28]
Woodley then fought Canadian prospectJordan Mein atStrikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine.[29] Woodley won via split decision.[30]
Woodley facedNate Marquardt on July 14, 2012, atStrikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy for the vacantStrikeforce Welterweight Championship.[31] He lost the fight via KO in the fourth round.[32]
Woodley facedJay Hieron on February 2, 2013, atUFC 156 in his promotional debut, replacing an injuredErick Silva.[33] Woodley won the fight via KO at just 36 seconds of the opening round.[34]
Woodley facedJake Shields on June 15, 2013, atUFC 161.[35] Woodley lost the fight via split decision.[36]
Woodley next faced off againstJosh Koscheck atUFC 167 on November 16, 2013.[37] He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win also earned him his firstKnockout of the Night bonus award.[38]
Woodley next faced formerInterim Welterweight ChampionCarlos Condit atUFC 171.[39] Woodley won via TKO after Condit suffered a knee injury in the second round.[40]
On April 8, 2014, Woodley's new eight-fight contract with the UFC was announced alongside his match againstRory MacDonald atUFC 174.[41] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[42]
Woodley next facedDong Hyun Kim on August 23, 2014, atUFC Fight Night 48, replacingHéctor Lombard.[43] He won the fight via TKO early in the first round.[44] The win also earned Woodley his firstPerformance of the Night bonus award.[45]
Woodley facedKelvin Gastelum on January 31, 2015, atUFC 183 in a catchweight bout after Gastelum failed to make the welterweight limit.[46] He won the fight via split decision.[47]
Woodley was expected to faceJohny Hendricks on October 3, 2015, atUFC 192.[48] It was announced on October 2, 2015, that Hendricks was forced out of the fight due to complications with weight cutting.[49]
Woodley faced welterweight championRobbie Lawler on July 30, 2016, in the main event atUFC 201.[50] He won the fight via knockout halfway through the first round to claim theUFC Welterweight Championship.[51] This win earned him thePerformance of the Night award.[52]
Woodley made his first title defense againstStephen Thompson on November 12, 2016, atUFC 205.[53] The fight ended in a majority draw with two judges scoring the fight 47–47 and the third 48–47 in favor of Woodley.[54] Subsequently, both fighters were awardedFight of the Night bonus awards.[54][55]
The rematch with Thompson took place on March 4, 2017, in the main event atUFC 209. It was another closely contested bout with Woodley winning via majority decision.[56][57]
For his third title defense, Woodley facedDemian Maia on July 29, 2017, in the co-main event atUFC 214.[58] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[59] Woodley stated after the contest that he had torn his labrum in his right shoulder in the opening round. Woodley would later have reconstructive surgery to repair the damage.[60][61][62]
Woodley next defended theUFC Welterweight Championship againstDarren Till on September 8, 2018, atUFC 228.[63] He won the fight via submission in the second round.[64] This win earned him thePerformance of the Night award.[65] Woodley also received hisBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in the cage fromDin Thomas following his victory.[66] Woodley also gave Till his first loss in MMA.[67]
In the fifth defense of his welterweight title, Woodley facedKamaru Usman on March 2, 2019, in the co-main event atUFC 235.[68] Woodley was dominated for the entire fight and lost by unanimous decision, ending his nearly three-year reign as welterweight champion.[69]
A rematch withRobbie Lawler was expected to take place on June 29, 2019, atUFC on ESPN 3.[70] On May 16, 2019, it was reported that Woodley suffered a hand injury and was pulled from the fight.[71]
Woodley was scheduled to faceLeon Edwards on March 21, 2020, atUFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards.[72] However, the restrictions related to COVID-19 forced Edwards to withdraw as the event was meant to be moved from London to the United States, and the event was subsequently postponed indefinitely.[73]
Woodley facedGilbert Burns on May 30, 2020, in the main event atUFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns.[74] Woodley would again be dominated for most of the fight and lose via unanimous decision.[75]
Woodley fought atUFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley against longtime rivalColby Covington on September 19, 2020.[76][77] Similar to his past two fights, Woodley was dominated for four rounds, and eventually the bout was called as a technical knockout after he tapped out during the fifth round due to a rib injury.[78][79]
Woodley facedVicente Luque on March 27, 2021, atUFC 260.[80] Uncharacteristically, Woodley came out swinging aggressively early into the bout, and after rocking Luque and being rocked himself multiple times on the feet, he was defeated by D'Arce choke in round one.[81] This fight earned him theFight of the Night award.[82] Weeks later, it was announced that Woodley had fought out his contract after eight years competing in the promotion.[83]
On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Woodley was signed byGlobal Fight League.[84] On January 25, 2025 Woodley was drafted first.[85]
Before theJake Paul vs. Ben Askren main event took place, Woodley was involved in a backstage situation withJake Paul andJ'Leon Love, where he was mocked due to his inexperience inboxing and the result of Paul's bout against Woodley's long–time teammateBen Askren was discussed.[86] After Paul knocked out Askren, Woodley called out Paul.[87] On May 31, 2021, news surfaced that Woodley had been scheduled to make hisprofessional boxing debut against internet personalityJake Paul on August 29, 2021.[88][89] Woodley became the first man to take Paul past the second round in his professional career, but ultimately lost by split decision. One judge scored the fight 77–75 for Woodley, while the other two judges scored it 77–75 and 78–74 in favor of Paul.
On December 6, 2021, Woodley hopped in to replaceTommy Fury for a rematch withJake Paul on December 18.[90] After a back-and-forth bout, Woodley was knocked out in the sixth round.[91] At the time of the stoppage, Woodley was behind on the scorecards 49–46 (twice) and 48–47.[92]
Woodley andLuke Rockhold are set to coach a group of fighters in an Hardcore FC Fight Show reality TV series for Hardcore FC promotion which will be filmed in the United Arab Emirates over the next six weeks.[93]
Woodley has pursued acting in his spare time and played roles in bothStraight Outta Compton,Kickboxer: Vengeance andSultan, the latter being an Indian movie directed byAli Abbas Zafar.[94][95] He also appears in several fight scenes ofEscape Plan 2: Hades.[96] Woodley also appeared on Season 5 of theNetflix showCobra Kai. On top of all of these other ventures, Woodley also appears in Season 3 Episode 5 of theNetflix showS.W.A.T._(2017_TV_series) as a member of the Jamaican Possy.
Additionally, he hosts apodcast called "Morning Wood with Deez Nutz" and a weekly internet web show onTMZ called "The Hollywood Beatdown".[97][98]
Tyron has four children. He has said that his goal is to open a non-profit facility for troubled youths one day.[99] When his hometown ofFerguson, Missouri engaged incivil unrest after theshooting of Michael Brown, Woodley publicly condemned the rioting and lootings that took place.[100]His favourite sport is Basketball.[101]
| 27 matches | 19 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 2 |
| By submission | 5 | 1 |
| By decision | 7 | 4 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 19–7–1 | Vicente Luque | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC 260 | March 27, 2021 | 1 | 3:56 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 19–6–1 | Colby Covington | TKO (rib injury) | UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley | September 19, 2020 | 5 | 1:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 19–5–1 | Gilbert Burns | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns | May 30, 2020 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 19–4–1 | Kamaru Usman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 235 | March 2, 2019 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Lost theUFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–3–1 | Darren Till | Submission (D’Arce choke) | UFC 228 | September 8, 2018 | 2 | 4:19 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Defended theUFC Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–3–1 | Demian Maia | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 214 | July 29, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | Defended theUFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 17–3–1 | Stephen Thompson | Decision (majority) | UFC 209 | March 4, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended theUFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Draw | 16–3–1 | Stephen Thompson | Draw (majority) | UFC 205 | November 12, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | Retained theUFC Welterweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–3 | Robbie Lawler | KO (punches) | UFC 201 | July 30, 2016 | 1 | 2:12 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Won theUFC Welterweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 15–3 | Kelvin Gastelum | Decision (split) | UFC 183 | January 31, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas,Nevada, United States | Catchweight (180 lb) bout; Gastelum missed weight. |
| Win | 14–3 | Dong Hyun Kim | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le | August 23, 2014 | 1 | 1:01 | Macau,SAR, China | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 13–3 | Rory MacDonald | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 174 | June 14, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Win | 13–2 | Carlos Condit | TKO (leg kick) | UFC 171 | March 15, 2014 | 2 | 2:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 12–2 | Josh Koscheck | KO (punches) | UFC 167 | November 16, 2013 | 1 | 4:38 | Las Vegas,Nevada, United States | Knockout of the Night. |
| Loss | 11–2 | Jake Shields | Decision (split) | UFC 161 | June 15, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| Win | 11–1 | Jay Hieron | KO (punches) | UFC 156 | February 2, 2013 | 1 | 0:36 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–1 | Nate Marquardt | KO (elbows and punches) | Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy | July 14, 2012 | 4 | 1:39 | Portland, Oregon, United States | For the vacantStrikeforce Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–0 | Jordan Mein | Decision (split) | Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine | January 7, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–0 | Paul Daley | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson | July 30, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 | Tarec Saffiedine | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine | January 7, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | André Galvão | KO (punches) | Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II | October 9, 2010 | 1 | 1:48 | San Jose, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Nathan Coy | Decision (split) | Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey | May 21, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Rudy Bears | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears | November 20, 2009 | 1 | 2:52 | Kansas City, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Zach Light | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings | September 25, 2009 | 2 | 3:38 | Bixby, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Salvador Woods | Submission (brabo choke) | Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields | June 6, 2009 | 1 | 4:20 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jeff Carstens | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Respect Is Earned: Brotherly Love Brawl | April 30, 2009 | 1 | 0:48 | Oaks, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Steve Schnider | TKO (submission to punches) | Headhunter Productions: The Patriot Act 1 | February 7, 2009 | 1 | 1:09 | Columbia, Missouri, United States |
| 2 fights | 0 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Loss | 0–2 | Jake Paul | KO | 6 (8)2:12 | Dec 18, 2021 | Amalie Arena,Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Jake Paul | SD | 8 | Aug 29, 2021 | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse,Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UFC 201 | Lawler vs Woodley | July 30, 2016 | Philips Arena | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | 240,000[110] |
| 2 | UFC 209 | Woodley vs Thompson 2 | March 4, 2017 | T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 300,000[111] |
| 3 | UFC 228 | Woodley vs Till | September 8, 2018 | American Airlines Center | Dallas, Texas, United States | 130,000[112] |
| Total | 670,000 | |||||
| No. | Date | Fight | Billing | Buys | Network | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 29, 2021 | Paul vs.Woodley | — | 500,000 | Showtime | $29,900,000 |
| 2 | December 18, 2021 | Paul vs.Woodley II | Leave No Doubt | 200,000 | Showtime | — |
| Total | 700,000 | $29,900,000 | ||||
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA Championships Matches | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | ||
| 2005 NCAA Championships 7th at 165 lbs | |||||||
| Loss | 12–7 | Matt Nagel | OT 2–4 | March 17–19, 2005 | 2005 NCAA Division I National Championships | ||
| Win | 12–6 | Justin Nestor | MD 11–0 | ||||
| Loss | 11–6 | Mark Perry | 0–3 | ||||
| Win | 11–5 | Mike Patrovich | 6–1 | ||||
| Win | 10–5 | Donny Reynolds | Fall | ||||
| 2003 NCAA Championships 8th at 165 lbs | |||||||
| Loss | 9–5 | Frank Edwards | 0–3 | March 20–22, 2003 | 2003 NCAA Division I National Championships | ||
| Loss | 9–4 | Matt King | 1–4 | ||||
| Win | 9–3 | Noel Thompson | 4–2 | ||||
| Loss | 8–3 | Jacob Volkmann | 0–4 | ||||
| Win | 8–2 | Kevin Carr | 12–5 | ||||
| Win | 7–2 | Nick Nemeth | 7–2 | ||||
| 2002 NCAA Championships at 165 lbs | |||||||
| Loss | 6–2 | Doc Vecchio | OT 8–10 | March 21–23, 2002 | 2002 NCAA Division I National Championships | ||
| Win | 3–1 | Carl Fronhofer | 5–4 | ||||
| Win | 2–1 | Bill Boeh | 12–7 | ||||
| Loss | 1–1 | Mark Fee | Fall | ||||
| Win | 1–0 | Scott Roth | 8–6 | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Fight Life | Himself | [113] |
| 2015 | Straight Outta Compton | T-Bone | |
| 2016 | Sultan | Tyron | Wrestler[114] |
| 2016 | Kickboxer: Vengeance | Fighter | |
| 2016 | The Evolution of Punk | Himself | Documentary mini-series; appeared in the final episode |
| 2016 | Breakout | Skinhead | |
| 2017 | Office Uprising | Mario | Post-Production |
| 2017 | The Favorite | Nick | Post-Production |
| 2017 | Escape Plan 2: Hades | Akala | |
| 2020 | Cut Throat City | Loser |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Bully Beatdown | Himself | Episode: "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" |
| 2017 | The Night Shift | Travis | Episode: "Do No Harm" |
| 2019 | Hawaii Five-0 | Kalino (Gunman 1) | Episode: "E'ao lu'au a kualima" "Offer Young Taro Leaves to" |
| 2022 | Cobra Kai | Sensei Odel | 5 episodes |
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | 11thUFC Welterweight Champion July 30, 2016 – March 2, 2019 | Succeeded by |
