UFC top contender Tyron Woodley says he never sat out for welterweight title shot

It's official. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) powerhouse Tyron Woodley will finally get his shot at promotional gold when he takes on current Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 on July 30 live on pay-per-view from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

With a 5-2 record since joining the promotion back in 2013, "The Chosen One" undoubtedly deserves to be called one of the best 170-pound fighters on the planet. But after his scheduled tilt with Johny Hendricks at UFC 192 was called off due to weight-cutting complications by "Bigg Rigg," Woodley was more or less guaranteed the next title shot.

However, despite being labeled as the next guy in line, the 34-year-old remains adamant that he was never sitting out and waiting for the champ.

"I was not offered other bouts," said Woodley in a recent interview with Sherdog Radio (transcribed by BJPenn.com). "It’s tough to put that to bed because everyone doesn’t listen to the same broadcast at the same time. Even if they listen they have their own mindset. Our fans are so entitled and so all-knowing that I was waiting around, whether I admitted it or not. [According to them] I was being an overly-entitled pouty fighter that said, ‘I’m not fighting unless you give me a world title shot.’That’s not what happened, people."

Before his scheduled bout with Hendricks went sour, Woodley had racked off two-straight victories over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 183 and Dong Hyun Kim at UFC Fight Night 48 via knockout.

"I was never offered the rebooking of Johny Hendricks," added Woodley. "The reason I wasn’t offered is because [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva assumed and miscommunicated the fact that he thought I was waiting. I never knew it was an option for a fighter to wait in the UFC. We got those things figured out, we got it ironed out. I was not sitting on the shelf waiting for my time to shine. As a fighter you need to grow and the only way to grow is putting what you’ve done in camp into the actual real life Octagon."

UFC 201 will also feature a Flyweight title fight between champion Demetrious Johnson and Brazilian Wilson Reis.