Coming off an impressive win last weekend, UFC welterweight Tyron Woodley could be just one more victory away from getting a title shot. But UFC president Dana White said Woodley is not jumping at the chance to earn his way into title contention.
White was looking to book Woodley in a main event fight against Hector Lombard for a December show in Australia. He proposed the bout to Woodley after his first-round knockout win over Dong Hyun Kim last Saturday in Macau, China, but Woodley refused. Both fighters train with American Top Team, and Woodley said he doesn't want to fight his teammate.
"I sat down with Woodley after his fight in China," White told reporters on Friday. "And, he won easily, quick in and out. I said listen, we need you again, what do you think about fighting Hector Lombard in Australia, main event. He said 'that's my teammate man, I don't want to fight my teammate.'"
Woodley is currently ranked third in the 170-pound division by UFC.com and Lombard is ranked sixth. Robbie Lawler, the number-one contender for the welterweight title, also trains out of American Top Team, so it's logical to think that two of these fighters would have to cross paths eventually. But White said that wasn't enough to convince Woodley.
However, Lombard doesn't share Woodley's sentiments. According to White, Lombard sent him a text practically begging for a fight with Woodley, calling him a "two-faced phony." He told this to Woodley on Friday and he still wouldn't accept the bout,
"So I called Woodley and said, obviously this isn't a teammate thing, here's what your teammate said, and he wants this fight bad," White said. "And [Woodley] said he can say whatever he wants, he's about him and he's always about him, this fight doesn't work for me and my brand. He started telling me all these reasons why he doesn't want this fight. I said, whatever kid. Do your thing. But he wants nothing to do with Hector."
White still expects Lombard, an Australia native, to headline the Dec. 8 card in Sydney. Woodley's refusal sets him backwards in an already stacked welterweight division, with a slew of contenders already vying for contender spots like Rory MacDonald, Matt Brown and Carlos Condit.
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