Tyron Woodley isn’t surprised by the politics surrounding the GOAT debate, but he’s not buying Dana White’s recent claim. The former UFC welterweight champion understands how the game works, which is why he didn’t flinch when White went on Kamaru Usman’s podcast and called him the greatest welterweight of all time.
Ahead of UFC 322, Dana’s comment immediately sparked backlash. Many fighters and fans still hold Georges St-Pierre as the true No. 1, especially with his nine title defenses. Woodley, who defended the belt four times before losing it to Usman in 2019, didn’t hide his reaction.
“Kamaru is not the greatest welterweight of all time,” Tyron Woodley told MMA Fighting. “I’m the realest. I had the realest route. I had the realest reign. I was the person who dealt with the most stuff behind the scenes and still managed to win, that I don’t even speak about. I fought all the top contenders that were not big trash talkers. Nobody wanted to say a bad word about Demian Maia, Robbie Lawler or ‘Wonderboy’ [Stephen Thompson]. I fought all the up and coming guys. Even Usman and Colby [Covington] and [Darren] Till, those are all up and coming guys.
“He’s not the greatest welterweight of all time. What he is, he is the one that kissed the most ass.”
Woodley didn’t hold back. In his view, Usman’s relationship with Dana White played just as much of a role in that GOAT label as anything he did in the cage.
“He’s the one ‘Oh let’s have uncle Dana on my podcast,’” Woodley said. “‘Let me accept every fight. Let me go to Vegas and just sit and loiter in his office every week and just try to stay in his good graces and just accept whatever offer.’”
Woodley argued that following the rules, taking short-notice fights, avoiding money complaints, and staying politically aligned with Dana might have helped Usman earn that unofficial title more than his actual résumé.
“He’s the biggest brown noser in the welterweight division,” Woodley said. “He is a good fighter though.”
Despite the criticism, Woodley insisted his stance isn’t rooted in bitterness. He simply doesn’t believe Usman sits ahead of St-Pierre, or even Matt Hughes, when you compare eras and accomplishments.
“When you really think about the era they did it, it’s Georges No. 1, I would say it’s Matt Hughes No. 2,” Woodley said. “I would say me and Usman are probably tied for third. You can’t say I’m over him because he beat me but I never got a rematch.”
However, Woodley didn’t shy away from admitting one thing, the version of him who fought Usman in 2019 wasn’t the same fighter who dominated the division.
“I’m the only one that didn’t get a chance to fight him twice because they knew that 9 out of 10 times, if we fought, I’m going to win 9 out of 10 times,” he said.
Woodley also reflected on how his relationship with Usman changed over time. Before their title fight, he said Usman often sought him out for advice, guidance, and even career strategy.
“I was mentoring him,” Woodley said. “You look at him dressing up trying to be flashy or be an analyst or get a Monster deal, that’s all from me. He wanted to do what I did.”
However, once the trash talk heated up, things shifted, especially during those infamous press conferences.
“I was just like friendly roasting him but he was getting mad,” Woodley said. “Usman looked up to me. So the person he looked up to and got a lot of respect for is poking fun at him. He didn’t like it.”
After their fight, Woodley says they only spoke a few times. There’s no hatred between them, but he’s firm on one point: he won’t call Usman the welterweight GOAT.
Right now, Tyron Woodley is preparing for his next challenge, his boxing match against Anderson Silva on the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua card on Dec. 19. It’s a massive matchup, coming at a time when Woodley is unsure if he’ll ever return to MMA.
He says he’s still praying about it, trying to decide whether chasing that final MMA win comes from purpose or from pride.
“At the end of the day, if I walked away from MMA, is there something wrong with that?” Woodley said. “If I go back and beat five dudes in a row, am I even that much more of a legend? No.”
“Anderson Silva? I’m geared up. I’m motivated. This is Anderson Silva. I’m fitting to squish ‘The Spider.’ I’m literally pumped up. Everybody can’t make me feel that way.”
