UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley successfully defended the gold at UFC 228, defeating Darren Till via second round submission.
Colby Covington is the UFC Interim Welterweight Champion and potentially next for Woodley, but Woodley doesn’t know if his longtime rival desrves such a platform.
“I’m not saying I am going to fight him, because I don’t feel he deserves my platform right now,” Woodley said after the event. “He had the chance to be here. He bitched out, if you want to be honest. He talked all that crap, and then he got in the hot seat. The second he won, I said, let’s come get this smoke. He got quiet. Instagram accounts got taken down, and he didn’t say nothing. I think, it’s an embarrassment to the sport, and if that’s the next person that’s got to get the work, you won’t have to do much to get me up for that fight.”
Covington was originally supposed to fight Woodley at UFC 228, but he had nasal surgery and couldn’t compete at the event.
Woodley is willing to have a quick turnaround and fight at UFC 230, which has no main event as of this writing.
“The more I fight, the better I get and more confident I get,” Woodley said. “So I want to stay as active as possible. If Nov. is the date they’re looking for a main event, I think they’ve got their guy.”
A similar idea is in the head of the interim champion, who took to Twitter to say he wants a bout with Woodley at UFC 230.
.@Twooodley Tyrone! You didn't blow it!!! Time for you to come see me in @TheGarden. America's Champ has another promise to keep. #ufc228 #thepeopleschamp #greatamericanwinningmachine ----
— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) September 9, 2018
Dana White did say before UFC 228 that Covington would fight the winner of Woodley/Till, but didn't specify when that bout would happen.
There has been no word yet from the UFC as to who will headline the card this November at MSG, which is now less than two months away.
