UFC welterweight contender Tyron Woodley has explained why he has yet to ask the UFC to rebook his canceled bout against Leon Edwards.
Woodley, despite having not fought for over a year, is someone who has been in the spotlight pretty regularly over the course of the last few weeks — mainly due to his interactions with a series of different fighters.
While he may have gone back and forth with Colby Covington and Israel Adesanya among others, many fans tend to forget that he was initially scheduled to fight the aforementioned Edwards in the main event of UFC London.
Speaking on Twitter, Woodley explained why he hasn’t been pushing the UFC to rebook this fight. It’s his understanding that Edwards is unable to make it to the US during the coronavirus pandemic.
Finally someone with fact. Leon acting like I’m dodging him and he not even an option cause he can’t get in the states. Colby wants 5mil 😂. Comedy https://t.co/wRZfTonINs
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) April 28, 2020
Can he come to the US🧐? No! I’m calling out champions, harder match ups and people who are ranked higher. 🙄 why would I call him out? He was always a stepping stone to the throne. End of story https://t.co/b7YJePDEaW
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) April 29, 2020
“Leon acting like I’m dodging him and he not even an option cause he can’t get in the states,” Woodley wrote.
“Can he come to the US? No! I’m calling out champions, harder match ups and people who are ranked higher. Why would I call him out? He was always a stepping stone to the throne. End of story”.
It’s safe to say that this probably won’t be the end of the back and forth between these two men as they both attempt to climb up the ladder of the welterweight division. Both Edwards and Woodley have suffered losses to Kamaru Usman, the current UFC Welterweight Champion, and it’s safe to say that they’re eager for revenge.
Alas, it doesn’t appear as if Leon Edwards is going to be getting on any fight cards anytime soon — unless Dana White plans on flying him out to the proposed UFC Fight Island, which is still shrouded in mystery.
Tyron Woodley, meanwhile, is clearly aggravated and that’s understandable. He’s tried to get back in the Octagon in the wake of his disappointing performance against Usman, but he just hasn’t been able to do so.
Will this fight ever go down? It’s starting to look unlikely, but never say never.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 4/29/2020.