Tyron Woodley (19-6-1) could not stop the bleeding at UFC Vegas 11. The former welterweight champion had his back against the wall, and he had the fight that was supposed to motivate him more than any other. A grudge match with Colby Covington (16-2).
Woodley was in sink or swim mode leading up to UFC Vegas 11. The former UFC welterweight champion had lost two straight fights. However, he didn’t just lose those fights, he was thoroughly dominated losing all ten rounds of both fights.
If there was going to be any fight that could motivate him to get back to his former self, you would think the Covington fight would be it. However, we saw basically the same result as his previous two UFC outings. Woodley was completely dominated before a rib injury stopped the fight.
X-Ray of Tyron Woodley’s broken rib, courtesy of Woodley.
He said it popped earlier in the fight and then tried to use the gulliotine to stand up and it popped. “It was the most pain ever,” he said.
He is back at the hotel resting. pic.twitter.com/onhuYkah0R
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 20, 2020
Should the former UFC champ hang it up?
UFC President Dana White said that he believes that Woodley should hang it up after Saturday night. That’s a popular feeling among a lot of people in the sport. Woodley has just looked like a shell in his last three contests.
Entering the fifth round against Covington, Woodley had lost 14 straight rounds. He’s been shutout in three straight UFC contests, and he didn’t even have moments in any of the fights where he remotely resembled his former self.
Woodley turns 39 next year, and he just doesn’t seem to have his head in it anymore. With no real path forward in the UFC, I think it’s probably a good time to walk away for Woodley. Nobody wants to walk away on a losing streak like this, but what else is there?
If Woodley wants to keep fighting, the UFC isn’t going to give him anyone at the top tier because he’s proved that he can’t hang anymore. That’s why I believe that it would just be better for him to hang up his gloves after Saturday.
He’s had a very good career which included capturing the UFC welterweight title and defending it four times. However, he’s not that same guy anymore, and it’s time to face reality if you’re Tyron Woodley.