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Tyron "The Chosen One" Woodley has reigned as the king of the 170-pound weight-class ever since having dethroned former champion Robbie Lawler. Woodley has truly come into his own as of late and has improved in leaps and bounds with every other fight.
Although most fans and experts believe that T-Wood isn't likely to be dethroned anytime soon, we simply cannot deny the fact that the UFC Welterweight Division has always been a murderers' row where any contender out of the top-10 could potentially dethrone the champion on a given night.
On that note, it's undeniable that Woodley, for as great as he is, isn't infallible. The man has been beaten before, and to be honest, there's no such thing as an invincible fighter. Today, we delve deep into the UFC Welterweight division and look at the fighters who could likely defeat Tyron Woodley and end his reign as the 170-pound king.
#5 Kamaru Usman
"The Nigerian Nightmare" may very well be one of the most underrated fighters in all of Mixed Martial Arts today. Usman is, and I say this without a modicum of doubt, one of the greatest Welterweights on the planet right now!
The Nigerian-American athlete is a lifelong wrestler, who had been criticized by many for his seemingly rudimentary striking skills early on in his career. Regardless, Usman seems to have come a long way from the days when he used to shoot desperate takedowns in an attempt to get the fight to the mat.
In the here and now, Usman is a confident striker, who went toe-to-toe with one of the best strikers in the company today, former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Frankly speaking, Usman could potentially out-wrestle Tyron Woodley, and perhaps out-work the latter on the feet as well with his high-volume style of striking.
#4 Ben Askren
Ah, the "Funky" one! Ben Askren is a former Olympic wrestler, and a man who's widely regarded as one of the best grapplers to have ever competed in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
Askren is a former One FC and Bellator Welterweight Champion, and the very fact that his issues with UFC President Dana White had kept him from signing with the company for such a long time, is truly unfortunate. Notwithstanding, Askren has now signed with the UFC, and is presently scheduled to take on former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 233 in January of 2019.
Alright, we ought to note here, that Askren has previously indicated his intentions of fighting all the best Welterweights in the UFC, except Tyron Woodley. That's because the duo are longtime training partners at Roufusport.
Nevertheless, should a fight between Woodley and Askren come to fruition, the latter would most definitely have a great chance of out-wrestling Woodley – earning a shut-out decision win on the judges' scorecards.
#3 Darren Till
Yes, Darren Till's last fight was for the UFC Welterweight Championship against Tyron Woodley. And yes, Till ended up getting knocked down and then submitted by Woodley.
However, the 25-year-old British fighter who honed his craft in his adopted country of Brazil, still remains one of the biggest threats to Woodley's UFC Welterweight Title reign. "The Gorilla" was regarded by many as the favorite to dethrone T-Wood, and become the new king at 170-pounds.
Regardless, Till seemed to be a tad overconfident and reckless in pursuing Woodley, and ended up getting knocked down with a hard counter punch by T-Wood. From there onward, the latter used his veteran savvy in order to improve his position, and secure the D'Arce Choke for the stoppage in Round 2 of their bout.
Rest assured that Till will have learnt a lot from his loss, and would surely exercise a greater degree of caution against Woodley in a rematch. Till defended Woodley's takedown attempts well in the first fight, and ultimately fell victim only to a flash knockdown and submission.
Expect Till to be more reserved in his striking, in a rematch against Woodley, and pick apart the latter over the course of 5 rounds – just like Till did to Stephen Thompson before the T-Wood matchup.
#2 Gunnar Nelson
Out of all the contenders listed in this article, Gunnar Nelson may perhaps be the least likely on most fans' list of people who could dethrone Tyron Woodley. In fact, most fans would claim that former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Colby Covington may have a better chance against Woodley, than would Nelson.
Regardless, that general feeling may very well be due to Nelson being one of the quieter personalities in today's MMA landscape where the squeakiest wheel gets the grease! "Gunni" is one of the best 170-pound fighters in the world today, and apart from a couple of decision losses, and the KO loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio (which came after a blatant eye poke from the latter!); Nelson hasn't really faltered in his career.
Lest we forget, Nelson is a BJJ black belt under Renzo Gracie, and is regarded as one of the few legitimate black belts in the BJJ world today, unlike a few others who don't really merit the belt that's been accorded to them.
Nelson's karate striking style is perfect to stifle Tyron Woodley's boxing, akin to how Stephen Thompson did in his couple of fights against Woodley. Furthermore, with Nelson and T-Wood reaching a stalemate on the feet, the latter would end up securing a takedown on the Icelandic phenom.
Once on the ground, although Woodley may be confident about winning rounds and stealing a decision victory, Nelson could potentially trap T-Wood in a flash submission – just like he's done to countless other fighters over the years.
#1 Jorge Masvidal
"Gamebred" is one of the true veterans of the game. Jorge Masvidal is one of the rare combatants who rose from the ranks of being a street-fighter fighting for fast-food to becoming one of the most elite MMA fighters on the planet.
Masvidal may have found himself on the losing end of one too many decisions as of late, but make no mistake about it, he wasn't really dominated in any of his recent losses. Honestly speaking, Masvidal has the best technical boxing prowess in the UFC Welterweight division today, and could very well cruise to a decision win against Tyron Woodley if the fight stays on the feet.
Nevertheless, even if this bout does hit the ground, Masvidal is known for his cat-like reflexes and would find a way to get back to his feet – resuming his boxing masterclass, as he jabs off Woodley's face.
Furthermore, expect Masvidal to attack Woodley's body frequently, as gassing out the latter would enable Masvidal to hunt for a late KO/TKO finish, in the 4th or 5th round of his fight against Woodley.
Which UFC Welterweights do you think have the best shot at dethroning Tyron Woodley? Sound off in the comments!
