Tyron Woodley (3-0 MMA) is currently one of the fastest rising stars in the welterweight division. After amassing a perfect 7-0 record from 2005 to 2009 competing at an amateur level, Woodley has since continued his undefeated streak after going pro in February 2009, with a first round defeat of Steve Schnider. Woodley debuted with one of the world’s largest MMA promotions, Strikeforce, three months ago when he submitted Sal Woods in the first round.

 

Tyron recently spoke with CONCEDE about his origins in collegiate wrestling, his upcoming fight against Zach Light on September 25, and his plans for the future in an exclusive interview.

 

 

TW: I really didn’t have an interest in competing in mixed martial arts until after college. I actually wanted to pursue competing on the Olympic ladder and making the Olympic team, that’s what I first took a bite at, then I saw The Ultimate Fighter and was thinking, man I could beat some of these guys. I ended up walking down the street to a gym and told the guy that I wanted to be on a fight card in a month. He said okay, I trained for a couple of weeks, and I won the fight. The fight was so short that I needed to get a few more to really get a feel for what it’s like to be in the ring, and now I’m making a career out of it.

 

 

TW: Yeah, that’s right. I was 7-0.

 

 

TW: My first amateur fight was in December of 2005, and I had a training injury in between some of them, so they were kind of spread out. It’s already 2009, so that’s four years that I had seven amateur fights and I had my first professional fight in February.

 

 

TW: Just strictly wrestling. Now I’ve been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Kick boxing, just trying to tie it all together.

 

 

TW: I think it helped me a lot. Growing up in a big family like that, you have to get used to sacrificing and going without certain things, so it definitely gave me a lot of strength. My mom had a no-quit attitude and I’ve really learned a lot from that. I didn’t have the same opportunities as some kids; I hung around with the wrong crowd, and then I made the decision to turn my life around very quickly. I didn’t have to make a bad decision or get in any sort of big trouble before I made the commitment to change. I think it has helped me to be where I’m at now.

 

 

TW: I think just competing in general helps you. It does help to get experience fighting in front of crowds, but I think the jitters for me come from just competing. For me it’s not the crowd, it’s just going out there and doing well in the competition.

 

 

TW: It depends. For me personally, sometimes I feel like I perform better in practice than in the cage, but sometimes when I fight my hands look a little faster than when I train. It depends on the day. I would say 80% of the time I look better in training than I do in the fight, just because of the nerves and there is more at stake so you don’t want to make any mistakes.

 

 

TW: I started out with ATT in Columbia, Michigan, so I’ve been there for my whole career. I was thinking about fighting for the H.I.T. squad or Team Quest, but after going to Florida to train at the ATT down there, they really convinced me to stay with them. I do most of my training locally at St. Charles MMA, but I try to go down to Florida at least twice a month to get in there with real experienced sparring partners and some of the high-level trainers they have.

 

 

TW: I think it’s real important because these guys have the experience and they have produced a lot of world-class fighters. They see your whole performance and can help you get better, where I might be focusing on what’s in front of me. Trying to translate what they see from you in practice into a game plan is huge. It’s a blessing to have so many talented coaches working with you to help you succeed.

 

 

TW: I hoped it would come early (laughs). I’ve been trying to fight professionally for the last couple of years. I had an injury, and then I was supposed to fight for EliteXC before they went bankrupt, so I had a lot of cancellations. I haven’t been training like an amateur fighter; I’ve been training like a pro, so that fight in February was just long overdue. I told myself that I wanted to get some respect; I wanted to get some momentum going, so I’m going to go on a butt-kicking tour. God willing, if I’m healthy I want to keep fighting as often as possible. If I win this fight, and then Strikeforce has something else coming up, I’m going to be petitioning to get on that card as well.

 

 

TW: I think they’re going to use some of their bigger names like Robbie Lawler and Jake Shields on that card, but I would love to be on the card. I’m trying to get on every card. I would rather not sit on a couch and watch a Strikeforce fight because I want to be in the mix every time they put on a show.

 

 

TW: I don’t know a ton about him. I’ve seen some film on him, and I know he’s going to come out to fight, but beyond that I’m not focused on beating one specific person, but rather becoming a more complete fighter. I would rather get better for five weeks and then plan something out instead of game planning for six weeks without getting any better.

 

 

TW: I think there is always that danger. I would actually rather fight a guy like Nick Diaz or Jake Shields, because I know they are going to bring it, so I will automatically bring it. The stakes would be higher and if I won it would be tremendous for my career. This guy has had a few losses in a row, he is trying to get his groove back, and I don’t want to be the guy he gets it back against. He does have a lot of experience, so I’m expecting a war. Hopefully I’ll prevail.

 

 

TW: I’m not one of those guys who say they will fight anybody at anytime. Guys like that usually have losses on their records that they really shouldn’t, because they shouldn’t have been fighting at that level at that point in their careers. I want to continue to develop, and if I believe in my heart that I’m ready, I’d like to get a shot at the top fighters in the weight class. I’m a patient guy, but obviously knocking off a Jake Shields, a Nick Diaz, a Joe Riggs, or a Jay Hieron would be tremendous for my career.

 

 

TW: I’m not in any rush, but if they [Strikeforce] put an opponent in front of you, you’re pretty much fighting whoever they put there. I would like to believe that they’re going to build me into one of their marquee guys that will carry the Strikeforce flag with integrity, but I’m ready to fight the best, so if it’s Jake Shields or whoever, I’m ready to go to war.

 

 

TW: Some people want to fight in the UFC so badly, that when they get there it isn’t even about being a world champion; it’s about fighting in the UFC. I’m in it to be the best in the world, but for me to be thinking about the UFC right now when I have these guys in Strikeforce to fight, it’s not really in my mindset. Down the road though, who knows where I’ll be. Hopefully Strikeforce is going to want to sign me to another deal, and I’m happy fighting for them.

 

 

TW: I believe it’s six, but I told them that if they need me to fill in for anyone, I’d try to get ten if I can.

 

 

TW: Well, for me to be able to fight St-Pierre I’m going to have to do some work really quick. He’s at the peak of his career, fighting BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, guys that have made a name for themselves, so for him to take a fight with me, I’m going to have to knock off a lot of good people. You’d have to be a fool to not look at his wisdom in the way that he seeks out the best training, so I do look at how he trains, but I don’t want to be the same fighter, because now you get in the cage and it’s like looking in a mirror. Now what do you do?

 

 

TW: I made it pretty close to the end, and if it wasn’t for the U.K., I would have been on the show. I know it wasn’t because of talent, because I was one of the more talented guys that tried out, so I think it was probably with the producers. I was strictly business, and I think some guys might have stuck out more with their antics, a little more entertainment and a little bit less sport.

 

 

TW: I have nothing against The Ultimate Fighter, but with Strikeforce I can do what I’m doing now without having to be in a house for six weeks. I can still spend time with my son, go to church, and train with the people who know me so I can get better. For me, it was better this way, so I do think it was a blessing in disguise.

 

 

TW: I wouldn’t say that this is my main goal in life. I have other purposes I want to fulfill as a person, but anything I do I want to be the best in. I want to be a world champ and continue to test myself against the top guys. You should try to be the best that you can in everything you do. If I’m still having fun and if I’m healthy, I think you guys will see me for a long time.

 

 

TW: What people don’t realize is I’ve been behind the scenes for a long time training guys. I’ve done work with Yves Edwards, Din Thomas, Thiago Alves, Dan Henderson, Jake Ellenberger, Chael Sonnen, Jon Fitch and all those guys. I’ve been making my rounds. I train with Robbie Lawler and Matt Veach occasionally. I’m getting better every time I go back to these gyms and compete with these guys.

 

 

TW: There are some people I would want to fight because they are great fighters, and there are some that I would want to fight because I think my style matches up badly for them. I would love to have the opportunity to go train at Greg Jackson’s camp. They’ve got to be doing something right there. They have great game plans and their fighters are looking different every fight, so I definitely want to get out there.

 

 

TW: I’m really not a guy who needs to be somewhere for long to get better, because I have that drill mentality from being a wrestler. I’ll come back home and drill whatever I’ve learned until I absorb it into my style and make it mine. I learned from a striking trainer at AKA that I was making some basic mistakes that were taking away a lot of my power, so I drilled what he showed me, and now my striking is a lot different. I’m able to adapt techniques and make them my own.

 

 

TW: I think teaching other people is one of the best things you can do to help yourself because when you teach a technique, you have to break it down from the ground up in order to show someone. You also have to be conscious of what you told someone else when you’re training so you don’t make the same mistakes they did. It has helped me tremendously in becoming a better athlete.

 

 

TW: I wouldn’t wait five years. I know where I’m at mentally and physically, so I think my fans should expect to see me making noise relatively quickly. People are going to see a fighter who, every time you see him in the cage you are going to see something different, you’re going to see a new fighter, and someone who is trying to dominate the fight. I’m going to let my work ethic and my training do the talking. That will be my entertainment.

 

 

TW: I appreciate all of the support and all of the people who believe in me. This is what I fight for.