TLDR
- Tyron Woodley revealed severe depression after losing UFC welterweight title to Kamaru Usman in 2019
- Former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson helped Woodley overcome mental health struggles
- Woodley lost to Khamzat Chimaev by pinfall in 94 seconds at RAF Moscow wrestling event
- Despite the loss, Woodley claimed Chimaev was ‘weaker than I thought’ in terms of strength
- Woodley plans to return to MMA competition, potentially with new promotion Ki MMA
Sources: yardbarker.com | mmasucka.com | iba.sport
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley opened up about severe mental health struggles following his title loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 in 2019. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the 44-year-old fighter described hitting rock bottom after losing the belt.
“Rock bottom is when I thought everybody was laughing at me,” Woodley said. “I thought the UFC was laughing at me. Usman was laughing at me.”
Woodley revealed he was dealing with multiple personal issues during his championship reign, including a divorce, a new relationship, and financial stress. He admitted to spending $40,000 per month during that period.
“When I lost the belt, it was like a state of depression where I felt like everybody finally got what they wanted,” Woodley explained. “‘Cause when I was at the top, they can say whatever they want to.”
Woodley won the welterweight title by defeating Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 and defended it four times. His relationship with UFC president Dana White was difficult throughout his reign, with White calling him a “drama queen” in 2017.
Woodley fired back at the time by calling himself the “worst-treated champion” in UFC history. The Missouri native maintained that his belt meant less to him than the wins themselves during his championship run.
Demetrious Johnson Helped Through Depression
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson played a key role in helping Woodley overcome his mental health crisis. “D.J. tried for a long time to put me out of it,” Woodley revealed during the interview.
After losing to Usman, Woodley’s UFC career took a downward turn. He lost three consecutive fights against Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington, and Vicente Luque before leaving the promotion in 2021.
Before his fight with Burns, Woodley publicly stated that the Usman loss had left him “depressed.” He never won another UFC fight after losing the championship.
Recent Wrestling Match and MMA Return Plans
Woodley recently competed in a freestyle wrestling match against former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Moscow on September 5. Chimaev defeated Woodley by pinfall in just 94 seconds of the opening period.
Despite the loss, Woodley made a surprising claim about Chimaev’s strength. “He was weaker than I thought,” Woodley said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
Woodley explained that Chimaev had more of a “whipping” force similar to Fedor Emelianenko rather than raw “brute strength.” “So I didn’t feel the strength,” he added.
Before facing Chimaev, Woodley defeated Joaquin Buckley in another RAF wrestling match last month. The former champion has also competed in professional boxing, losing twice to Jake Paul and once to Anderson Silva.
Woodley’s last MMA fight was in 2021 when he lost by submission to Vicente Luque. He confirmed in his recent interview that he plans to return to mixed martial arts competition.
The former champion appeared publicly at the launch of Ki MMA, a new organization founded by Scott Coker. Woodley has a long relationship with Coker from his time competing in Strikeforce, and he could potentially make his MMA comeback under the Ki MMA banner.
