Five-time UFC champion Tyron Woodley isn’t about to fly all the way to London to fight

It’s been nine months since former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 170-pound kingpin, Tyron Woodley, has stepped foot inside the Octagon, losing his belt to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 this past March. While the ex-Welterweight champion is itching to get back into action, UFC matchmakers have yet to provide a suitable foe — and location — to entice him to return.

“I’m ready to fight soon, man,” Woodley said on a recent live stream, captured by MMA World (transcribed via BJPenn.com). “They want me to fight in London. Fuck that, I’m not going all the way to London to fight. I’m the five-time world champion, I’m gonna fight fucking here.

“January 18th, January 25th, February 8th, I wanna fight in the States,” he continued. “I don’t wanna go out of the country and fight. When I go out of the country I wanna be on vacation.”

While “The Chosen One” didn’t mention a possible opponent, it’s safe to assume Leon Edwards — who hails from England — was likely offered, as the two men have been linked to scrap for some time now.

Then again, it was rumored to be co-main event to Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 on Jan. 18, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, so you can’t completely blame Woodley for wanting a spot there instead of a Fight Night event.

Nevertheless, Woodley is hungrier than ever after coughing up his strap, and is determined to bring legitimacy back to the division ... and to the title.

“I’m starving to get the strap and watching all this press conference shit is so corny and so tacky, man,” Woodley said. “They’re making the belt look dumb so I gotta get back in there. Everybody thinks it’s something until they get in that pocket. They complain and they wanted me to be a champion in a different way, but I was a champion my way.

“Now you guys understand that it’s different,” he added. “It’s different when you’re in the pocket. So much demand, so much shit you gotta do.”

Woodley will be an interested observer this Saturday night (Dec. 14, 2019) as division king, Kamaru Usman, defends his title against Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 245 in “Sin City.”

Should he prove victorious in his next outing, Woodley could be at the top of the candidates list for a shot at the winner. After all, it seems as if Jorge Masvidal has his sights set elsewhere.