"This is my city. This is specifically my city, and I'm outraged. I lived right down the street. I used to walk down here, sweep up some hair, so I could get a haircut, make some extra money. This was the spot. This was the hangout spot. There was a lot of good energy here. We didn't have the idea that we had to get into trouble to have fun. I hate seeing it, I hate watching it. More importantly, I hate people that don't understand the environment... how small Ferguson is, how it's really a sense of community and, you know, it's a good place. We shouldn't have been looting and rioting, tearing up our own city. I'm ashamed of the people that are looting and rioting and busting holes and burning down buildings. They make it look bad for the people that are peacefully protesting. I'm not an emotional guy. I hardly cry at funerals. But I had to go in my closet for a second, and start praying for what have we come to as a society. Martin Luther King said 'Let's not make noise, let's make a difference.' For me to have something hit so close to home, I'm to the point where, literally, I have to do something."
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Tyron Woodley returned to Ferguson, Missouri, not long after a grand jury opted not to indict police officer Darren Wilson, who was responsible for the shooting death of Michael Brown. The controversy stems from Wilson's decision to use deadly force against Brown, who was unarmed, and has sparked a heated debate on both sides of the fence. Unfortunately, protests ranged from peaceful to forceful, and "The Chosen One" visited the various businesses destroyed by looters. While there is clearly no easy solution, Woodley vows to help make a difference. That's going to have to wait, however, as the No. 3-ranked 170-pound standout must first get through undefeated up-and-comer Kelvin Gastelum at the UFC 183 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Jan. 31, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada (more on that fight here).
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