I really can't believe that Woodley hasn't been released from his contract already. It's not like the stacked division he finds himself in actually needs him there and he has already lost to just about anyone in there that is above him already.
The last time he actually won was back in 2018 at UFC 228 and this was from a surprising and very uncharacteristic submission move from Tyron.
He is currently ranked 7th in the Welterweight division, which is the division I find the most exciting at the moment on the men's side of things. But this doesn't mean that I find Woodley exciting, quite the opposite actually. Of all the fighters in the UFC Woodley is, IMO, one of the most boring fighters in the entire damn sport. This is very unusual for a kickboxing striker but Woodley, for whatever reason, seems a bit too cautious. Ok, I get it, this way of thinking is important for some people but you can't win if you don't generate some sort of offense and ever since his loss to Kamaru Usman (and then Gabriel Burns, and then Colby Covington) he has been even more boring than he was in the past.
Believe it or not, Woodley actually has been the champion of the welterweight division way back in 2017, by decision after 5 rounds of what is largely considered to be the most boring championship bout of all time. He took the belt from Damian Maia, who is a submission specialist and was trying the entire fight to get Woodley to the ground but couldn't because Tyron specializes in defense. Unfortunately, Woodley doesn't seem to specialize in offense and for 5 rounds these guys just danced and hugged and eventually the belt was given to Woodley based on the simply fact that he hit his opponent more. Neither guy was hurt and the crowd was booing like crazy.
I think that most people agree that Woodley is not a big draw and it is unlikely that he has much of a following outside of his friends and family. Tyron is a very odd choice for last undercard before the main event this Sunday and I don't think that it is because anyone actually cares about this part of the welterweight division but here is what i think the motivation will be on the part of UFC.
I think that Tyron is being set up to lose and to pave the path for his opponent, Vicente Luque, who has won 5 of his last 6 and lost only to a Wonderboy (who also defeated Woodley), to move UP in the ranks while simultaneously giving Dana White a reason to finally release one of the most boring fighters that the UFC has ever known. This isn't just my opinion either. The opinion of Dana White, who is probably the person whose opinion matters most of all, had this to say about Woodley.
"You asked fans if they want to see Woodley fight again. I think that would be a flat out no. Who wants to pay to see Tyron Woodley fight again?"
Keep in mind that Dana said this right after Woodley had just won the belt and while he did defend it in his next fight in an uncharacteristically exciting 2 round fight that he finished, it was evident that Dana White was interested in getting the belt out of Tyron's hands and that is exactly what happened when he faced Usman.
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if the idea behind this sport was to not get put on the ground and not get hit, Woodley would be one of the best at it, but unfortunately for him you also have to actually damage your opponent too!
Usman won by decision and trust me when I say the reason the fight went that long is not Usman's fault. It is because Woodley refused to engage and was basically playing defense for the full 5 rounds.
You may not recall this but there was also a time in the past where Woodley threatened his billionaire boss (Dana) on Twitter and well - threatening to publicly divulge private information about White if he didn't receive a public apology from the CEO. This apology did not come because Dana White is the undisputed champion of all the weight divisions in the UFC.
Anyway, I bear no ill will towards Tyron Woodley I just know that he is one of the most boring fighters in all of the UFC. His tactics, if they worked, would be understandable but he is 0-3 in he last 3 fights. He better turn up to UFC 260 a different man because if he is boring and he loses, I think he will be leaving UFC in the not-too-distant future.