Tyron Woodley would return to UFC to 'beat the f*** out of' Israel Adesanya

22/09/2023 14:00

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is not a fan of ex-middleweight champ Israel Adesanya and would return to the octagon for a shot at him.

Woodley was discussing his UFC and boxing career with former UFC light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson on the Jaxxon video podcast. He was asked whom he'd return to the octagon for, and his answer arrived quickly.

"The only person I would just want to beat the f*** out of is Israel Adesanya," Woodley said. "I don't like him."

Asked why he disliked Adesanya, Woodley recapped his on-again, off-again feud with the now-former champ, who lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland earlier this month at UFC 293.

"Because he cap [fake]," said Woodley. "He was never Israel Adesanya. ... How do I do this again. Israel Adesanya, I get on the same show, TMZ, and they asked me who was next up. I said, 'I kind of like this Israel kid. He's kind of different, but he's got some pizazz. He's got his own character. He's flashy, but he's a good martial artist. I think he's one to watch out for. This is when he first started out. So I gave him his respect.

"Then they asked me, who did I want to fight? Whoever's at the top. So you're at the top, my brother, it's a salute. I never wanted to fight Nick, Nate [Diaz] or Conor [McGregor], or Georges [St-Pierre] because I thought they were weak, easy and whack. I thought they was the best. To be the best, you've got to beat the best."

Clearly, Woodley's message wasn't taken kindly by Adesanya, who fired back in a series of interviews. Woodley went on to lose the title to now-former champ Kamaru Usman, and later, face off twice with Jake Paul in a pair of boxing matches. After losing both, and the second via vicious knockout, he stepped away from combat sports.

Woodley has teased a return to boxing, but has yet to announce any bookings despite back and forth with influencer turned boxer KSI. Adesanya, meanwhile, could get a rematch with Strickland for the UFC title. It's highly unlikely the two will ever meet, but Woodley would love the opportunity.

Below is Woodley's full interview with Jackson, and the fighters go into plenty of detail about their relationship with UFC CEO Dana White, PRIDE and fight fixing allegations, and more.