Tyron Woodley Says Relationship With Dana White In Better Place
Tyron Woodley Says Relationship With Dana White In Better Place
UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley says beef with Dana White was resolved with a phone call.
Tyron Woodley came out of UFC 214 with more than just another successful title defense. The reigning UFC welterweight champion also had a storm of negative criticism and beef for days with his boss, Dana White.
Following an efficient, yet low-excitement showing against Demian Maia last Saturday in Anaheim, CA, the former University of Missouri wrestling standout turned MMA powerhouse received his fair share of blowback from the fight community. The primary voice leading that charge came from White, who used his time during the post-fight press conference to thoroughly lambaste the 170-pound king for what the UFC front man saw as safe fighting.
White not only criticized Woodley for how he performed but also went on to say a bout with former champion George St-Pierre that was promised to the winner of the tilt at UFC 214 would now be going to middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
Woodley fired back by going on record and demanding a public apology from White, and if the UFC president refused, the welterweight titleholder was going to leak some information to the public. Well, it appears the fires of war between the two parties have been cooled... at least for the time being.
In an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the St. Louis native Woodley gave insight into his recent phone call with White. And while the previously requested public apology most likely will not be fulfilled anytime soon, correcting the lack of respect Woodley believes he's been shown has been covered.
"There was some yelling back and forth," Woodley said. "At the end of the conversation, I felt pretty comfortable. It ended on a positive note. Two men can talk on the phone and maybe not agree on everything but at least respect each other.
"I still feel he should apologize publicly, but I'm not going to hold my breath. The conversation ended with respect, and that was really my goal. Dana knows all about talking off emotion. I went a little [crazy] and was talking off emotion, too. Did I really plan on leaking stuff? Probably not. But at the time, I was mad and it sounded good."
Following an efficient, yet low-excitement showing against Demian Maia last Saturday in Anaheim, CA, the former University of Missouri wrestling standout turned MMA powerhouse received his fair share of blowback from the fight community. The primary voice leading that charge came from White, who used his time during the post-fight press conference to thoroughly lambaste the 170-pound king for what the UFC front man saw as safe fighting.
White not only criticized Woodley for how he performed but also went on to say a bout with former champion George St-Pierre that was promised to the winner of the tilt at UFC 214 would now be going to middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
Woodley fired back by going on record and demanding a public apology from White, and if the UFC president refused, the welterweight titleholder was going to leak some information to the public. Well, it appears the fires of war between the two parties have been cooled... at least for the time being.
In an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the St. Louis native Woodley gave insight into his recent phone call with White. And while the previously requested public apology most likely will not be fulfilled anytime soon, correcting the lack of respect Woodley believes he's been shown has been covered.
"There was some yelling back and forth," Woodley said. "At the end of the conversation, I felt pretty comfortable. It ended on a positive note. Two men can talk on the phone and maybe not agree on everything but at least respect each other.
"I still feel he should apologize publicly, but I'm not going to hold my breath. The conversation ended with respect, and that was really my goal. Dana knows all about talking off emotion. I went a little [crazy] and was talking off emotion, too. Did I really plan on leaking stuff? Probably not. But at the time, I was mad and it sounded good."