Tyron Woodley has not held back when discussing topics which most other fighters would deem taboo or likely to be found contentious.
The UFC welterweight champion of the world has gone on record on a number of occasions in the past holding his employers accountable for what he believes is poor treatment due to his ethnicity. In addition to pointing fingers at the promotion, “The Chosen One” has claimed that fans have been guilty of holding both overtly racist and “subconscious opinions” against him.
Tyron Woodley has a close friend in Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, who appeared on Monday’s Ariel Helwani-hosted episode of The MMA Hour and addressed the welterweight champion’s accusations that race plays a part in how he is treated in the sport:
“Everybody just misunderstands Tyron when he talks about that,” Johnson said. “But I understand where he’s coming from.”
“I don’t want to say it’s [racism] an issue,Because obviously I’ve been promoted very well as the flyweight champion. But can I say that people might feel there is? Yeah, probably people feel it. But I don’t think [UFC president] Dana White has ever been like, ‘I’m not gonna look at that sh*t, he’s black. Get somebody else in front of me.’ I don’t think Dana White is doing that. But I’m saying if people feel that way, it’s possible that some people feel that way. That’s just how it is.”
