Woodley will fight Maia in Brazil, for seven figures

Demian Maia was told a win over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday would earn him a title shot at Tyron Woodley. However, during a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Woodley said no one had talked to him about it, and added that they have to.

Someone needs to talk to me first,” said Woodley, as transcribed byAdam Guillen Jr. for MMA Mania. “I haven’t talked with anyone, you have to talk to the champion, first. You can issue whatever challenge you want to issue out, but you have to talk to me.

I’m not against fighting Demian Maia. I think out of all the guys in the top 10, that are really threatening guys, whether they are knockout, submission, or just their ability to be tough, I match up the best with him. I’ve fought that style so many times, trained against it. My last five fights have been against southpaws. I’ve seen it so many times.”

Woodley conceded he had been approached before UFC 211 about fighting the winner of Maia vs. Masvidal.

It didn’t interest me, it didn’t make my adrenaline pump,” he said. “To be honest, neither one of those guys interested me because they are trying to build their brand, I’m trying to build my brand up and I feel my brand is further than theirs is.

Woodley said that Maia’s takedown and position heavy style doesn’t lend itself to the type of fight he wants to give the fans, particularly after his cautious wins over Stephen Thompson.

You want me to fight this guy, tell me where’s he’s marketable at, Brazil?” asked Maia. “If you offer me a fight against Demian Maia in Brazil, do not come to me for less than seven figures to show.”

I am not traveling to another country, different time zone, whatever, to fight him in his own element. I’m the champion. Outside of that, International Fight Week is a good week. The fight with Jon Jones and ‘DC’ is a good week, too.

Woodley said, again, that fights that would get his blood pumping are Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz. GSP said he is not coming back until after October, which would put the fight quite a ways out. And Diaz has had just three fights in the last five and a half years, all losses, although one was changed to a No Contest after Anderson Silva failed an anti-doping test.

And the promises made to Maia have, at some point, to be met.

Once I won against Gunnar Nelson, they invited me to watch Lawler and Condit in that time,” he said post fight Saturday night. “I was supposed to be the next, they were recording me, I was in the front row, but then things change. Then I came and won against Matt Brown and they say okay now we’re gonna fight, and then, no, let’s fight Condit. And then I won against Condit, former interim champion, in a very good way and said, ‘okay, now we’re going to fight,’ and no, and finally I got this one.”

So Woodley’s next fight has to be Demian Maia.