TYRON WOODLEY DISMISSED speculation that Darren Till may not make weight for the pair’s upcoming welterweight championship clash this weekend.
Woodley is looking for his fourth successful title defence this Saturday night at UFC 228 and has been continuously met with questions as to whether or not his opponent will make the championship limit of 170lbs.
Liverpool native Till, who remains undefeated as a professional, tipped the scales at 174.5lbs during his last fight against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC Liverpool in May.
“I don’t really care,” Woodley told a media scrum ahead of this weekend’s headline bout. “I can’t make him make weight. I can’t make him miss weight.
“I haven’t seen his open workout but I can guarantee he wasn’t looking as vibrant as I was. I guarantee you he’s not in the 70s yet. I guarantee if I hop on a scale right now I’m in the 70s and I’ve still got juice. I’m still ready to go.”
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Darren Till connects with Stephen Thompson during May's welterweight bout in Liverpool. PA Wire / PA Images
PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images
Focus
The Ferguson native enters the bout as underdog for the third time in four title defences, but insists he’s unconcerned by the noise surrounding the fight.
“Those are uncontrollable variables. There are enough things that happen in a fight, right and wrong, that you need to focus on. Chael Sonnen was winning [against Anderson Silva] for 24 minutes and 30 seconds of the fight and a triangle choke took the victory away from him.
“That’s what I can focus on. The gameplan, the strategy. Whether he’s 170 or 179, I’m going to beat anyone who walks in the cage.
“There’s enough of those things in a fight I have to think about. I can’t control this man’s weight. I’m tired of answering questions for his weight. He’s the one that missed weight, he’s the one that should answer questions about his own weight.”
He added: “People should want to know how I’m doing, what I’m going to do different, what you expect to see from me on Sunday. That’s what I want to focus on because at the end of the day, I’m the one that’s the professional. When have you seen the scale tip beyond 170 on my scale? You haven’t seen it.”
Tyron Woodley has not relinquished his welterweight crown since beating Robbie Lawler in 2016. Jason Silva
Jason Silva
Till previously pointed toward the size difference between him and Woodley, having a three-inch height advantage over the champion, but admits to finding it hard to make the cut. Despite the size disparity, the pair do however share identical reach (188cm).
Woodley returns to the Octagon for the first time since his UFC 214 decision victory over Demian Maia.
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'He's the one that should answer questions': Woodley unfazed by Darren Till's weight cut
TYRON WOODLEY DISMISSED speculation that Darren Till may not make weight for the pair’s upcoming welterweight championship clash this weekend.
Woodley is looking for his fourth successful title defence this Saturday night at UFC 228 and has been continuously met with questions as to whether or not his opponent will make the championship limit of 170lbs.
Liverpool native Till, who remains undefeated as a professional, tipped the scales at 174.5lbs during his last fight against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC Liverpool in May.
“I don’t really care,” Woodley told a media scrum ahead of this weekend’s headline bout. “I can’t make him make weight. I can’t make him miss weight.
“I haven’t seen his open workout but I can guarantee he wasn’t looking as vibrant as I was. I guarantee you he’s not in the 70s yet. I guarantee if I hop on a scale right now I’m in the 70s and I’ve still got juice. I’m still ready to go.”
Focus
The Ferguson native enters the bout as underdog for the third time in four title defences, but insists he’s unconcerned by the noise surrounding the fight.
“Those are uncontrollable variables. There are enough things that happen in a fight, right and wrong, that you need to focus on. Chael Sonnen was winning [against Anderson Silva] for 24 minutes and 30 seconds of the fight and a triangle choke took the victory away from him.
“That’s what I can focus on. The gameplan, the strategy. Whether he’s 170 or 179, I’m going to beat anyone who walks in the cage.
“There’s enough of those things in a fight I have to think about. I can’t control this man’s weight. I’m tired of answering questions for his weight. He’s the one that missed weight, he’s the one that should answer questions about his own weight.”
He added: “People should want to know how I’m doing, what I’m going to do different, what you expect to see from me on Sunday. That’s what I want to focus on because at the end of the day, I’m the one that’s the professional. When have you seen the scale tip beyond 170 on my scale? You haven’t seen it.”
Till previously pointed toward the size difference between him and Woodley, having a three-inch height advantage over the champion, but admits to finding it hard to make the cut. Despite the size disparity, the pair do however share identical reach (188cm).
Woodley returns to the Octagon for the first time since his UFC 214 decision victory over Demian Maia.
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170bs championship weight Darren Till make weight MMA stephen thompson Tyron Woodley UFC UFC 228 weight welterweight title welterweights