Last night, UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley divulged to ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto that he believes his next fight will be against Nate Diaz.
“I think that fight will happen,” he said. “I think it will happen this year. I think it’s way more likely than people realize. There are conversations about Nate and I fighting in July. The UFC has offered Nate that fight. They just have to make it worth his while.”
“I think I’ll fight Nate this year, and I think it will be my return to the Octagon. If I had to bet the house on it, that’s my next opponent.”
In a subsequent conversation with ESPN, Diaz agreed with Woodley, suggesting the fight makes sense.
“I’m getting to the point where I’m sick of not fighting. I’m not getting any younger,” Diaz said. “I put that tweet out saying I wanted to fight in May or June, but I didn’t say who because I was weighing my options. And now, Woodley is my best option.
In a fairly unsurprising twist, Rafael dos Anjos – widely considered the number-one-contender at welterweight – is not happy with the recent comments from Woodley and Diaz. He believes he should be the next man in line for a shot at the welterweight title.
@TWooodley man up and stop talk about fight that make no sense, everyone know that I’m the real contender. You want to fight a guy that has never beat a real welterweight in his whole life. Shame on you…
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) February 7, 2018
While dos Anjos’ frustration is understandable, Woodley isn’t phased by it. In response to a BJPenn.com article on the subject, Woodley promised he’d get to dos Anjos after his rumored fight with Diaz, and that if dos Anjos is impatient, he can fight fellow contender Colby Covington in the meantime.
I’m not his friend, family or anything close. I’m his foe. Could give a care less about his patience. I’ll deal with him after I finish my scrap with @NateDiaz209 go fight Qweefington if you are impatient and bored https://t.co/Yh4ZS7BGTi
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) February 7, 2018
What’s your take on the complicated title situation at welterweight? Who do you think Tyron Woodley should fight next?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/7/2018.