Tyron Woodley Plans to Keep Fighting After Third Straight Defeat: ‘I’m Not Giving It Up’

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Despite a discouraging three-fight skid in the UFC, Tyron Woodley does not have designs on calling it a career just yet.

Woodley is coming off a technical knockout loss to bitter rival Colby Covington at UFC Fight Night 178 in which the bout was halted early in Round 5 due to a rib injury. The former welterweight champion was not especially competitive prior to the stoppage, as Covington controlled the majority of the fight.

“I’m not retiring – I’m not giving it up,” Woodley said on Instagram. “I’m not switching all my coaches up. I’m not changing the continent I live on. I’m not doing all that.

“Some s—t didn’t happen and guess what? I don’t know why it didn’t happen. I did everything to make it happen. Now we just take a deep breath and see what’s next.”

Woodley’s statement is in contrast to the advice of UFC president Dana White, who urged the 38-year-old veteran to consider retirement at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“I think that he should start thinking about hanging it up,” White said. “He’s had a great career, he’s had a great run. He’s made money.”

Prior to facing Covington, dropped lopsided five-round verdicts against Gilbert Burns at UFC on ESPN 9 on May 30 and against Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 in March 2019. He was unbeaten in seven Octagon appearances from from August 2014 to September 2018, a stretch that included victories in four title fights.

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A post shared by Tyron Woodley (@twooodley) on Sep 21, 2020 at 10:21am PDT