Tyron Woodley explains why he pulled out of Robbie Lawler rematch

Earlier today it was reported that Tyron Woodley was forced to pull out of his scheduled UFC Minneapolis main event fight against Robbie Lawler. The two were set to run it back following their first encounter at UFC 201. There, Woodley knocked out Lawler in the first round to become the new champion.

“The Chosen One” was looking to get back on track after losing his belt to Kamaru Usman in his most recent octagon appearance  at UFC 235. But, a hand injury has forced Woodley to pull out of the fight and he explained why on Instagram live.

“A lot of questions about my hand and me not fighting June 29. I don’t know if they’re going to reschedule me and Robbie for a different date or if they’re going to actually get him a new opponent, but I got to make sure I protect my hand. That’s where I make the money with,” Tyron Woodley said (transcript via MMA Junkie). “I have to be confident throwing my moneymaker, my right hand. I toughed it through the last fight, guys, a lot of (expletive) tape.

“This time around I’ve got to be honest with myself. The gripping, the grabbing, the posting, the pushing off, the strength, the snapping – all of the above was a little bit more difficult. I’m going to make sure I put myself in position to be successful. At the end of the day, I got to get that belt back. I’ve got to put myself in the best position.”

There is no word on how long Tyron Woodley will be out of action for. As of this time, no replacement opponent has been found for Robbie Lawler. It remains unclear if the promotion will attempt to rebook the matchup.

Who would you like to see Tyron Woodley fight next if a rematch with Robbie Lawler is officially scrapped by the UFC? Let us know in the comment section, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/17/2019