SFM Sept 2016_high reg - page 37

SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
September - 2016
37
for a while, I want to make the
big dough, so, if he wants to
fight August, with his brother,
Nate Diaz, I think me and him
can show down at the event,
I’m uninjured, August, I’m
ready to go, [UFC]202, let’s
make that money, I think he
has deserved it, I think he has
put enough butts in the seat,
he deserves to make that pay
day, so let’s go get it.”
Nick Diaz suspension for his
last fight where he tested
positive for marijuana against
Anderson Silva is now done,
as Woodley has stated, how-
ever, Nick hasn’t won a fight
in almost five years, since Oct
2011 when he beat the brakes
off an already declining and
undersized welterweight, BJ
Penn.
Woodley also expressed inter-
est in facing the now retired,
former UFC welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre,
who hasn’t fought in more
than two and a half years.
November of 2013 was when
GSP won his last fight as a
champion against Johny Hen-
dricks , by a very close split-
decision, to later announce his
‘retirement’ from the sport.
At the age of 34, one can per-
haps better understand Wood-
ley’s time-sensitive agenda of
wanting fights with the big-
gest bucks involved. But just
as he is allowed to express
his wishes, the backlash from
MMA fans and fellow fighters
for what could easily be per-
ceived as conservative match-
making from the champion is
to be expected with a such a
statement.
From a financial point of view,
Woodley isn’t wrong – the
biggest money fights for him
are not in the top five of the
division, or top fifteen, for that
matter.
So, if Woodley wants to pick
and choose his opponents, he
will do so at the cost of the
respect from fellow fighters
and fans who prefer a cham-
pion that does not avoid being
tested against the current best
contenders the division has to
offer.
If we think about it from
Woodley’s perspective for a
moment, who can blame a
father of four for wanting to
provide for his family with the
most profitable fight he can
get his hands on now as a
champion?
However, that doesn’t change
the facts.
Tyron Woodley is trying to
duck the most deserving and
highest ranked contenders in
the welterweight division as of
right now.
But let’s be honest here at
the end, wouldn’t you do the
same for your family?
Georges St. Pierre after
his most recent title fight
against Johny Hendricks
on Nov 16, 2013 (Ester Lin/
MMA Fighting)
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