UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley candidly discussed the issue of race yesterday, ahead of his fight with Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC 209 on March 4. One set of replies was prompted by a question about a video Woodley recently put out honoring Dr. Martin Luther King.
“As fighters, as celebrities or whatever you want to call us, we’ve got an obligation to point out stuff that’s just completely wrong,” explained Woodley. “Muhammad Ali said it best, ‘I might lose some money in this, I might set out for a year or two in my prime, but this is right.’ And that’s why people remember him.
“I made a vow to myself that this year, if things are unjust, the things that are untrue, the things that are racially driven, I’m not going to be quiet and not speak on it. I’m going to be honest.
“In the past I was like, hey, I don’t want to speak on certain issues, because the second I speak on one thing about race, then I’m race baiting, I’m, ‘Hey, Tyron’s playing the race card.’ But if you think about it, what is the race card?
“The race card is that, ‘The Man held me down, I had unfair circumstances, and now I wasn’t able to be successful because someone held me down.’
“What do you think this is? This is not me being a victim. This is not me making an excuse. This is me making a way out of no way. This is me rising above my situation. And that’s what people need to see. That’s what kids need to see – that you might live in an impoverished environment, but that doesn’t have to be you. So I put that video out.
“I’m not going to wait until February 28 to do some things for Black History Month. Because it is true. If I show you the Tweets and stuff from my phone from fans, complete hatred, complete race. Granted, they are hiding behind a keyboard. But if we want to act as if race in sport doesn’t exist?
“Some people go, ‘Oh, it’s 2017, nobody’s racist, nobody says that negative stuff to you, nobody thinks that way, nobody discriminates any more, we have a black president.’
“That’s not true. That’s not reality. I have walked into Tom Ford and someone looking at me like, ‘What are you doing here, you can’t afford nothing in here.’ Well technically I kind of can, if I want to. But that’s our reality. And people subconsciously make those preconceived notions about you before they even know you.”
Woodley then broke down how he could contribute to the growth of the sport, if he was marketed properly. He wants to draw the African-American market to MMA, an effort that is particularly auspicious given the retirement of Floyd Mayweather.
I think I’m the only African-American fighter on the roster who can capture the market, said Woodley, as transcribed by Dave Doyle for MMA Fighting. Especially with Floyd Mayweather retiring and things like that. But you have to educate the community on what it is.
Most people in the community, those people think that mixed martial artists are a whole bunch of crazy white guys kicking on each other and they sprinkle in a few brothers. That’s their thought. They don’t see it as karate, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, Taekwondo, Sambo. They don’t see it’s a beautiful art with so many martial arts combined in them. Not only that, it’s an affordable art. They can afford mixed martial arts. With that said, I think that’s UFC’s job.
If they want to take it to the next level, I felt New York was the perfect opportunity. The Mecca of hip hop, they could have gone a little bit better to promote me in a different way, to grab that market, not only to grab those PPV buys, but to bring in a complete different demographic, but also for the youth. This is the way to keep them off the streets, this is the way to turn things into something positive. Martial arts is about respect.
Certain athletes, they show the UFC, to the fans, that they are marketable. What happens is, the UFC gets behind them. They help push them. I’m a husband, I’m a father of four, I’m an entrepreneur, I’m a gym owner, I’m an actor, I’m an analyst, I’m a stuntman, I’m a Christian. Every avenue you can take it, I have those layers .I grew up in Ferguson. I grew up in gangbanging. I was in a family of 14 in a four-bedroom house, complete dysfunction, and I made a choice to be successful. What is there not to market? I’m fighting like hell. I’m not doing performance-enhancing drugs in my life. … Why would they not want to market me?
Woodley also discussed race during an appearance on ESPN earlier in the day.
The second I bring up race in the sport I’m immediately race baiting, said Woodley. I can point out clear facts: no other champion has been treated like me. I’m not saying they support [Stephen Thompson] more, but he has some fans who have crossed the line. It’s not his fault, I’m not saying it’s him, let’s get clear on that. I do respect him. I have been friendly and cordial with him, I will be friendly and cordial when we walk out. But let’s put the cards on the table. Real is real. If I was a different complexion, I feel fans would treat me a different way.
The best pound-for-pound fighter, Demetrious Johnson, African-American male, completely a Tasmanian devil. Why doesn’t he have the big endorsements? Why isn’t he making the most money? What’s the difference? Think about it. The second Jon Jones steps on a banana peel, granted, he’s his own worst enemy, but, they can’t wait to throw him underneath the bus. People of different races get so many different chances.
I’m by far the worst treated champion in the history of the UFC, blatantly facts. When March 4 come along, I will defend this belt, I will move forward in my legacy, and I will continue to do what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.”
I fight for my family, I fight for God, I fight for my legacy. I don’t fight for fame, I don’t fight for money, contrary to what people believe. I’m going out here and trying to be a legend. I’m trying to be the best welterweight that ever graced the Octagon. To do that, I have to knock [Thompson] off again, I have to knock three or four other loudmouths off again until it’s undeniable I’m the best welterweight on the planet Earth.
