Woodley’s coach: Covington deserved the title shot

When the UFC announced that it would be Kamaru Usman fighting Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title, many were surprised that it was not Colby Covington getting the shot instead. After all, Covington was the former interim champion, had a similarly impressive run as Usman, and even had the same last opponent as Usman.

While some have said that it was Woodley calling for Usman instead, head coach Din Thomas refutes that. In an appearance on The Top Turtle MMA Podcast, Thomas noted he is among those who didn’t agree with the situation.

I thought Colby deserved the fight first, Thomas said. He spent two years roasting Tyron and two years picking at him and two years trying to get this fight.

Over the course of those two years, Covington joked about Woodley’s fighting style, often calling him Tyquil. While Thomas pointed out that Woodley is there to win and not necessarily be exciting, he also didn’t take offense to Covington’s banter. He instead saw it as strictly part of the game and, quite frankly, good work.

I thought those efforts went unnoticed to the UFC, Thomas said matter of factly.

Regardless of the choice that the UFC brass made, Thomas said the team moved on quickly to Usman.

For whatever reason, it didn’t happen, said Din. We can’t complain about that – we just got to fight who they put in front of us.

That being said, Thomas looks forward to the day after the Usman fight when Woodley can get his hands on who he feels is his rightful challenger.

Usman happens to be the guy. He’s gonna get it first, Thomas said. But then hopefully Colby gets it next. As long as Colby stays healthy, he’ll be next in line to get his butt whipped.

(2:00 mark)

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Author Daniel Vreeland is a co-founder of the Top Turtle Podcast, and a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu at New England Submission Fighting in Amherst, Massachusetts.