‘With him it’s always about something else other than the fight’: UFC chief Dana White reveals Tyron Woodley – not Conor McGregor – is the hardest star he’s ever had to deal with
- Dana White says Tyron Woodley is the most difficult star he’s had to deal with
- White has previously accused Woodley of holding up the welterweight division
- The UFC chief recently suggested Woodley should retire after his latest defeat
- White has also had run-ins with other UFC stars including Conor McGregor
Dana White has claimed working with UFC star Tyron Woodley is like ‘pulling teeth’ and named the former welterweight champion as the most difficult fighter he’s ever dealt with.
UFC president White has always had a strained relationship with Woodley. White previously accused him of holding up the welterweight division and recently suggested he should retire.
Speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend’s UFC 254, White said: ‘I would say the hardest kid that I ever dealt with, and everybody thinks that I don’t like him, it has to be [Tyron] Woodley.
UFC president Dana White has named Tyron Woodley as the hardest star he’s had to deal with
The UFC chief has previously accused the 38-year-old of holding up the welterweight division
‘Woodley’s the hardest kid I’ve ever dealt with. I look at what he could have done and what he should have done.’
‘Good looking kid, physique, the whole thing, becomes a world champion, has that knockout power, has all the tools and everything else, but it’s just always pulling teeth with him and it’s always about something else other than the fight.’
Woodley won the welterweight division in 2016 and defended his title three times before losing out to Kamaru Usman in March 2019.
White also suggested Woodley should retire after breaking a rib against Colby Covington
He has since been defeated by Gilbert Burns and most recently Colby Covington at UFC Vegas 11.
Ahead of his fight with Covington, Woodley made a statement at his press conference by answering ‘Black Lives Matter’ to every question.
White organised separate press conferences for Woodley and Covington, who has previously shared his support for American president Donald Trump.
Woodley also wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt and a hat with the words ‘Make Racists Catch the Fade Again’, in the same style as the ‘Make America Great’ cap made famous by Trump.
He answered Black Lives Matter to every question in his press conference before facing Covington, who has previously aired his support of American president Donald Trump
The 38-year-old suffered a broken rib in his bout with Covington and White suggested he should start thinking about retirement.
‘I think that he should start thinking about hanging it up,’ White said following the bout.
‘He’s had a great career. He’s had a great run. He’s made his money.’
But Woodley said he would not be retiring and insisted he would not make changes to his game.
Woodley is not the only UFC fighter White has had run-ins with. Most notably, White has clashed with Conor McGregor on several occasions in recent years.
White also had run-ins with Conor McGregor and recently accused him of breaking ‘man code’
White suggested McGregor tried to take the spotlight away from Israel Adesanya before his UFC 253 fight with Paulo Costa after he announced he would be fighting Manny Pacquiao in a charity boxing match.
McGregor had also leaked private messages between himself and the UFC president which showed them discussing possible fights for the Irishman.
White accused McGregor of breaking ‘man code’ by leaking their conversation.
UFC 254 takes place on ‘Fight Island’ on Saturday with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje the headline fight.