After pulling out of his scheduled rematch with Robbie Lawler, former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley is already re-planning his return.
Three years ago, Woodley took Lawler's title with a first-round knockout but the pair were set to run it back in Minnesota on June 29th. However, a hand injury halted those plans and this week on The Hollywood Beatdown, Woodley provided an update on his health.“I went to go see a hand specialist earlier this week, and the hand specialist basically looked at my X-ray and looked at the MRI and he said I have chronic arthritis in my joint right here," he said.
"There’s three joints that enable me to grab and grip. One has chronic arthritis and this one has severe arthritis. So he said there’s a few different ways to heal and fix the problem permanently, but it’s something you wouldn’t do if you’re still active with fighting because it limits your range of motion and grip. He said the temporary fix is to rehab it, get it stronger, get the flexibility where you can actually start to grab and grip.
"And then ten days before your fight, let’s try to do a cortisone shot. So I have the UFC checking on dates, cities and states that actually accept and allow you to have cortisone shot." While Woodley's injury sounds concerning on face value, 'The Chosen One is undeterred, already looking ahead to his octagon return. “I’m targeting maybe the August 17th card in Anaheim. I just want my belt back," he reiterated.
Woodley's title reign was certainly impressive but after losing his belt in lopsided fashion opposite Kamaru Usman, it remains unclear if he can indeed reclaim his throne. With that aspiration in mind though, Woodley will be desperate to return to the win column once he finally re-enters the octagon.
