Tyron Lakent Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at Strikeforce and was an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler for the Missouri Tigers, becoming a two-time All-American and Big 12 Conference champion.
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Early life
Woodley was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri. The first of thirteen children, he was raised by his mother after his father left the family early in his life. In high school, he was a two-sport athlete, competing in American football and amateur wrestling. Woodley won the Missouri 4A State Wrestling Championship in 2000, at the 160 lb weight class.
After graduating from McCluer High School in 2000, Woodley attended University of Missouri and joined their wrestling program. There, he became a two-time All-American; once in 2003 and again in 2005. Woodley graduated from the university in 2005 with a major in Agricultural Economics.
Mixed martial arts career
Woodley fought his first professional fight on February 7, 2009 against Steve Schnider. It was held by Headhunter Productions at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri. Woodley won via submission in the first round.
Woodley's second professional bout was against Jeff Carstens on April 30, 2009. He won the bout via submission in the first round.
Strikeforce
Woodley made his Strikeforce debut against Sal Woods in St. Louis, Missouri. The fight was at the event Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6, 2009. Woodley won the fight by submission late in round one. After the win, Strikeforce signed Woodley to a six-fight deal.
Woodley made his second appearance for Strikeforce on the Strikeforce Challengers: Kennedy vs. Cummings card. He defeated Zach Light via submission in the second round.
On the Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears card, Woodley had his third fight for Strikeforce, defeating Rudy Bears via arm-triangle submission.
Woodley's next bout was against Nathan Coy at Strikeforce Challengers: Lindland vs. Casey in Portland, Oregon. He won via split decision.
On October 9, 2010, at Strikeforce: San Jose, Woodley defeated André Galvão via knockout midway in the first round.
Woodley fought Tarec Saffiedine on January 7, 2011, in Nashville, Tennessee at Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine. Woodley won the fight via unanimous decision. After the win, Woodley was signed to a contract extension with Strikeforce.
At Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, Woodley replaced Evangelista Santos and fought Paul Daley. Woodley defeated Daley via unanimous decision.
Woodley then fought Canadian prospect Jordan Mein at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine. Woodley won via split decision.
Woodley faced Nate Marquardt on July 14, 2012, at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. He lost the fight via KO in the fourth round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Woodley faced Jay Hieron on February 2, 2013, at UFC 156 in his promotional debut, replacing an injured Erick Silva. Woodley won the fight via KO at just 36 seconds of the opening round.
Woodley faced Jake Shields on June 15, 2013, at UFC 161. Woodley lost the fight via split decision.
Woodley next faced off against Josh Koscheck at UFC 167 on November 16, 2013. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win also earned him his first Knockout of the Night bonus award.
Woodley next faced former Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit at UFC 171. Woodley won via TKO after Condit suffered a knee injury in the second round.
On April 8, 2014, Woodley's new eight-fight contract with the UFC was announced alongside his match against Rory MacDonald at UFC 174. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Woodley next faced Dong Hyun Kim on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 48, replacing Héctor Lombard. He won the fight via TKO early in the first round. The win also earned Woodley his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Woodley faced Kelvin Gastelum on January 31, 2015, at UFC 183 in a catchweight bout after Gastelum failed to make the welterweight limit. He won the fight via split decision.
Woodley was expected to face Johny Hendricks on October 3, 2015, at UFC 192. It was announced on October 2, 2015, that Hendricks was forced out of the fight due to complications with weight cutting.
Woodley faced welterweight champion Robbie Lawler on July 30, 2016, in the main event at UFC 201. He won the fight via knockout halfway through the first round to claim the UFC Welterweight Championship. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Professional boxing career
Woodley vs. Paul
Before the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren main event took place, Woodley was involved in a backstage situation with Jake Paul and J'Leon Love, where he was mocked due to his inexperience in boxing and the result of Paul's bout against Woodley's long–time teammate Ben Askren was discussed. After Paul knocked out Askren, Woodley called out Paul. On May 31, 2021, news surfaced that Woodley had been scheduled to make his professional boxing debut against internet personality Jake Paul on August 29, 2021. Woodley became the first man to take Paul past the second round in his professional career, but ultimately lost by split decision. One judge scored the fight 77–75 for Woodley, while the other two judges scored it 77–75 and 78–74 in favor of Paul.
Woodley vs. Paul II
On December 6, 2021, Woodley hopped in to replace Tommy Fury for a rematch with Jake Paul on December 18. After a back-and-forth bout, Woodley was knocked out in the sixth round. At the time of the stoppage, Woodley was behind on the scorecards 49–46 (twice) and 48–47.
Woodley vs. Silva
After a four-year hiatus, it was announced on December 4, 2025 that Woodley would face Anderson Silva on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua on December 19. Woodley lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round.
Freestyle wrestling
Woodley made his debut in RAF on August 22, 2026 against Joaquin Buckley where he won in a 14-8 decision.
Woodley faced Khamzat Chimaev in the main event on September 5, 2026 at RAF Moscow. He lost by pinfall in the first round.
Other ventures
Woodley has pursued acting in his spare time and played roles in both Straight Outta Compton, Kickboxer: Vengeance and Sultan, the latter being an Indian movie directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. He also appears in several fight scenes of Escape Plan 2: Hades. Woodley also appeared on Season 5 of the Netflix show Cobra Kai. On top of all of these other ventures, Woodley also appears in Season 3 Episode 5 of the Netflix show S.W.A.T._(2017_TV_series) as a member of the Jamaican Posse.
Additionally, he hosts a podcast called "Morning Wood with Deez Nutz" and a weekly internet web show on TMZ called "The Hollywood Beatdown".
Personal life
Tyron has four children. He has said that his goal is to open a non-profit facility for troubled youths one day. When his hometown of Ferguson, Missouri engaged in civil unrest after the shooting of Michael Brown, Woodley publicly condemned the rioting and lootings that took place. His favourite sport is basketball.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
Four successful title defenses
Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Josh Koscheck
Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Dong Hyun Kim, Robbie Lawler and Darren Till
Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Stephen Thompson 1 and Vicente Luque
UFC.com Awards
2013: Ranked #5 Import of the Year
2016: Ranked #6 Fighter of the Year, Ranked #8 Knockout of the Year vs. Robbie Lawler & Ranked #5 Fight of the Year vs. Stephen Thompson 1
Strikeforce
2010 Rising Star of the Year
CBS Sports
2016 #5 Ranked UFC Fight of the Year vs. Stephen Thompson
2017 #5 Ranked UFC Fighter of the Year
Wrestling
Missouri State High School Activities Association
MSHSAA All-State (1999, 2000)
National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA Division I All-American (2003, 2005)
Big 12 Conference Champion (2003)
National High School Coaches Association
NHSCA Senior All-American (2000)
Real Pro Wrestling
RPW 84 kg Northern Regional Championship (2006)
USA Wrestling
United States University Freestyle National Championship Runner-up (2006)
