Tyron Woodley expected to return on May 23, but not against “terrified” Colby Covington

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is looking to make his return to the Octagon later this month by competing on May 23.

Woodley was originally slated to square off with Leon Edwards earlier this Spring in England. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the bout and the event were eventually both scrapped by the promotion.

Since then, Tyron Woodley has been active on social media trying to procure a new opponent. ‘The Chosen One’ originally targeted either a rematch with Kamaru Usman or a grudge match with Colby Covington for his next bout.

Woodley would later entertain the idea of moving up in weight to challenge reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for his undisputed title.

However, ‘Stylebender’ showed little interest in the scrap, and Woodley’s focus now appears to be back on the welterweight division he once ruled.

While Tyron Woodley would admittedly love to get in the cage with Colby Covington, apparently ‘Chaos’ is too “terrified” to dance on May 23.

Image Credit: @Gilbert_Burns on Instagram

With that said, Woodley is now leaning towards accepting a fight with streaking division contender Gilbert Burns later this month in Florida.

“Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley told Ariel Helwani that he’s leaning towards accepting a main event fight with Gilbert Burns on May 23.” via ESPN MMA.

Woodley is no doubt excited to finally step back in the Octagon, but he is also disappointed that Covington did not step up to the plate.

“Sad how terrified Colby Covington is of me and thinks he deserves a rematch after he got stopped. We in the same boat. I understand why my mentees Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington don’t want to fight me with a clear head. I wouldn’t want to fight me right now either.”

Tyron Woodley has not competed since UFC 235 in March of 2019, where he suffered a lopsided decision loss to Kamaru Usman, surrendering his welterweight title in the process.

Prior to the setback, Woodley had put together a 6-0-1 record over his past seven fights, including a knockout victory over Robbie Lawler and a submission win over Darren Till.

Would you like to see Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns throw down on May 23? Who do you think would win? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!

on May 1, 2020