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At tonight's UFC on ESPN 9 event, Tyron Woodley made his return to the Octagon for the first time in over a year, as the former UFC Welterweight Champion went head-to-head with Gilbert Burns in the main event of the evening.
Woodley, on the back of a loss to Kamaru Usman from UFC 235, was prepared to make a statement upon his return. However, things didn't go according to his plans, as Burns dominated the 'Chosen One' in a one-sided main event.
Despite losing two back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, Woodley claimed that he felt good and has no excuses, regardless of the loss that he suffered at the hands of 'Durinho'.
Tyron Woodley says that he found peace despite losing to Gilbert Burns
It's not often when you witness fighters claiming that they felt good in taking a loss in the Octagon. However, Tyron Woodley, in the aftermath of his loss to Gilbert Burns, stated that he felt good and has no excuses, following his return fight at the UFC Apex Center.
'T-Wood' took to his official Instagram handle and released a statement, claiming that he felt he had done everything right in his fight against Burns and everything felt great for him, starting from the walkout till the end of the bout.
“I felt good. I have no excuses. I felt good. I train hard. I was in great shape. I felt like I did everything right. Everything felt good from the walkout to the stretch, to every single thing about the fight. I looked him in the eyes yesterday and knew he was going to be ready to fight. I thought that was good. He did a good job of keeping the distance (and) not coming at the shots. I felt like I was reaching. I don’t have no excuses, man. I’m going to hold my head high.”- said Woodley on Instagram.
Woodley further added, throughout the fight, there were moments when he felt like giving up but kept himself motivated by remembering the recent protests after the disheartening death of George Floyd.
“A lot of (expletives) would let somebody finish them off in that moment.I wasn’t going to (expletive) give up. I was just thinking about everybody right now who’s protesting and fighting for something good for Mr. Floyd’s family I’m like, ‘I just can’t give up in here.’ I never really gave up hope that I was going to win the fight, to be honest.”- Woodley further added.
Here is what Woodley had in say:
What's next for T-Wood?
Tyron Woodley could possibly return to the Octagon by the end of the year, as he would certainly prefer getting back into action, rather than sitting out for another long stint. It remains to be seen what plans Dana White has in store for Woodley.
