Tyron Woodley denies sitting out for title shot

Back in October, top ranked UFC welterweight Tyron Woodley was set to fight former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks in what was believed to be a #1 contender fight. Unfortunately, Hendricks had a botched weight cut, and was forced to be rushed to the emergency room, cancelling the bout.

UFC President Dana White stated after the incident that Woodley was now the welterweight #1 contender, and would fight Robbie Lawler after Lawler vs. Condit at UFC 195. At UFC 195 however, Lawler defeated Condit in what many believe to be one of the most controversial decisions in UFC history. Immediately following the bout, many called for a rematch between the two, leading many to wonder where Woodley stood in the welterweight division’s title picture

White ultimately made good on his promise, and Lawler vs. Woodley was booked for UFC 201. This led to quite a bit of criticism for Woodley, who many believed sat out to wait on a title shot.

He spoke on Sherdog Radio:

“I was not offered other bouts. It’s tough to put that to bed because everyone doesn’t listen to the same broadcast at the same time. Even if they listen they have their own mindset. Our fans are so entitled and so all-knowing that I was waiting around, whether I admitted it or not. [According to them] I was being an overly-entitled pouty fighter that said, ‘I’m not fighting unless you give me a world title shot.’That’s not what happened, people.

“I was never offered the rebooking of Johny Hendricks. The reason I wasn’t offered is because [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva assumed and miscommunicated the fact that he thought I was waiting. I never knew it was an option for a fighter to wait in the UFC. We got those things figured out, we got it ironed out. I was not sitting on the shelf waiting for my time to shine. As a fighter you need to grow and the only way to grow is putting what you’ve done in camp into the actual real life Octagon.”