Ever since Tyron Woodley choked out Darren Till in the main event of UFC 228 earlier this month to defend his UFC welterweight championship, the calls for him to fight former long-time champion and legend of the sport Georges St-Pierre have been fierce. Woodley is convinced he is the greatest welterweight of all time, a title GSP has held for the last decade-plus, and it seems like the only way for these two to prove who definitively is the best ever would be to have them meet in the center of the Octagon.
Of course, Woodley’s motivation for pursuing the GSP fight isn’t just one focused on the title of the welterweight GOAT. After fighting non-draws like Till, Demian Maia and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Woodley is now chasing money fights and there’s no doubt GSP is the biggest money fight around. Not only would a potential fight with GSP give Woodley the opportunity to prove he’s the best ever at 170lbs, but it would also be a golden opportunity to make big bucks. So it’s no wonder Woodley is pushing for this fight so much.
GSP, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be interested in this fight. We’ve heard Woodley call out GSP for the last few years now and the former long-time champ has always been coy on the subject, and instead he’s talked about superfights with guys like the Diaz brothers. It seems like GSP is more focused on coming back to a massive superfight if he comes back and less focused on proving he’s the best welterweight of all time. And considering his resume, it’s easy to see why GSP believes he has nothing to prove when it comes to the discussion of the welterweight GOAT.
It was surprising to see GSP finally comment on Woodley publicly, but as expected, he said he doesn’t want the fight because he has more to lose than to gain. And he’s not wrong.
Think about it. Although Woodley has a great record, it’s not even close to GSP’s. Let’s do a head-to-head comparison. Woodley has a 19-3-1 professional record, with a 9-2-1 record in the Octagon. Meanwhile, GSP is 26-2 overall and 20-2 in the UFC. Think about it, both men have the same amount of losses in the Octagon but GSP has 11 more wins. Furthermore, GSP’s on a 13-fight win streak at the moment and hasn’t lost in over a decade. Meanwhile, Woodley’s longest win streak in the UFC is three fights. But the stat that shows exactly why GSP doesn’t think he needs to fight Woodley to prove his excellence at 170lbs is that he has 10 title defenses compared to just three for Woodley. And that stat alone should be enough to convince everyone who the welterweight GOAT is.
Having said that, stylistically this would be such a great fight, and I do hope it happens even though I understand it might not be the money fight GSP is looking for. GSP made a career out of using his wrestling and striking to win fights, and Woodley has taken a similar approach to his fighting career. GSP has never really fought anyone who could consistently stop his takedowns and Woodley has the best takedown defense percentage in MMA history. GSP’s technical boxing is very solid but so is Woodley’s and Woodley has more pure KO power. And here’s the other thing, even though GSP has barely fought the last few years, he’s still only 37. Woodley is 36. So if these two were to meet, it would be two guys at a similar age range. So there’s a lot of intrigue to this matchup.
If you ask me, GSP is still the greatest welterweight of all time. His sheer number of wins in the Octagon and his number of title defenses shows that. But Woodley may be second best, and a win over the long-time champ would jump him to that No. 1 spot. That’s why Woodley wants the fight so bad, for both the money and for his legacy. GSP has a lot more to lose in this potential matchup, which is why it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. But if GSP wants to prove without a reasonable doubt that he’s the best welterweight to ever walk the planet, then he’ll fight Woodley, beat him, and prove the doubters wrong once and for all. The fight doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon, but it’s such an intriguing matchup that with enough push from the fans, you never know, maybe it could happen.
Do you think GSP vs. Tyron Woodley will ever come to fruition?
