Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 – Mar. 2, 2019
Tyron Woodley was being spoken about as one of the best UFC welterweight champions in history, and he had looked relatively untroubled during his reign at the top of the 170-pound division. But that all changed at UFC 235 when Usman stepped into the octagon and realized his potential with the biggest performance of his career.
Usman didn’t just beat Woodley, he totally dominated him as he pitched a shutout performance at the T-Mobile Arena to win every round on every scorecard en route to capturing the UFC welterweight title.
Usman dominated all facets of the fight. He looked the stronger, more confident man in the stand-up. He bossed the clinch and he even managed to take the champion to the canvas as he earned scores of 50-44, 50-44 and 50-45 on the three scorecards to register one of the cleanest, most decisive wins of his career in the biggest fight of his life.
After years of struggling to get the big fights and the recognition he felt his skills deserved, Usman had finally reached the summit, and the emotions came pouring out of him as the belt was wrapped around his waist. “The Nigerian Nightmare” had achieved his dream. But after successfully completing his route to the gold, a new path opened up in front of him as he now had the challenge of defending his spot at the top of the welterweight division – and a trash-talking rival was ready to step up and push him to the limit.
Watch Kamaru Usman vs. Tyron Woodley on UFC Fight Pass
Next up: Breaking a jaw, defending a belt
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