Pretty? No. Effective? Yes.
That might be the best way to describe Tyron Woodley's win over top 170-pound prospect Jordan Mein at the Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event that took place last Saturday night (Jan. 7, 2012) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He got the job done.
The undefeated wrestling phenom did exactly what he's done in his last three fights, also decision wins, and that's control the pace with effective grappling and position. While he failed to secure a stoppage, it shouldn't take away from the fights he has finished, including five submissions and one technical knockout across his short but impressive career.
At least, that's "T-Wood's" argument (via Sherdog's Savage Dog Show), one he's making after Strikeforce executives failed to guarantee him a 170-pound title shot.
"To me, it should be, ‘Tyron’s fighting for the belt next.’ That’s the only answer I was looking forward to hearing. Yeah, it concerns me and it kind of really frustrated me that -- what are we guessing about? Did I guess when [Strikeforce] called me and said, ‘Hey, you want to fight this tough kid in three and a half weeks?’ When I was just told basically I was going to fight in February 24 hours before then? Those are my thoughts. I’m just being honest. I’ve knocked guys out. I’ve submitted guys. I’ve made people stop through strikes. I’ve had different kinds of submissions. My response is going to be not very good, number one. Number two, they announced something at the press conference that caught me and several others by surprise: Paul Daley and [Kazuo] Misaki fighting … which draws a huge problem because obviously Misaki would be the most legitimate person to match me up with for a world title. So now it’s like, once again, I’m a victim of circumstances. My world title, me fighting for the belt, is dependent on somebody else. What if Paul Daley beats him? We’re going to rematch for the title? Are they going to have me fight immediately after March? I just fought in January. Are these guys going to fight in March and then turn around and fight in April? I don’t think so."
Woodley's best argument is that no other fighter in the welterweight division, at least in Strikeforce, can be ranked higher than him at 10-0. Two possible contenders, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine, were already victimized by him in previous fights.
So what now?
If the UFC is adamant about keeping the divisions separate, Woodley could become the Robinson Crusoe of the 170-pound island. However, if he does get a cross-town transfer, it could set off an entirely new career trajectory.
Any Maniacs out there have an opinion for (or against) him?