After shocking the mixed martial arts world on Saturday night in Atlanta, new UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley wasted no time calling for big money fights in the future.
During the post-fight press conference, Woodley detailed his plans and expressed a desire to face either MMA legend Georges St-Pierre or Nick Diaz.
“These guys are legends,” Woodley said after his knockout victory over Robbie Lawler. “Nick Diaz is a top-five welterweight of all time in my eyes. Georges St-Pierre is the No. 1 welterweight in my eyes. If I’m an athlete in this sport, in this division and I want to say I’m the best in the world, I feel like I should compete against those guys. So I don’t feel any obligation to go by the rankings. We all know how those rankings are produced anyway. And I want to go out there and I want to fight the money fights.
“I want to make some money now. I’m gonna be honest. Goal one is to be the welterweight champion of the world, but I put in too much time. I’m away from my family way too often. This is a sport where we can make cash now, instead of just saying this person deserves it, he worked his way through the ranks.”
Woodley went as far as to propose fighting Nick Diaz at UFC 202, an event his brother headlines against Conor McGregor.
Unfortunately for Woodley, Diaz has previously said he has no interest on fighting as the same card as his brother. There is also the fact that Stephen Thompson recently won a No. 1 contender match, so he should be next in line for a shot at UFC gold.
Of course, the UFC has never been shy about changing course and giving fans what they want to see, so we will have to wait and see how the welterweight picture plays out and who receives the first crack at the new champ’s belt.
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