Real American FreestyleTyron Woodley
Cruiserweight · RAF · UFC · Boxing
Overview
Tyron Woodley held the UFC welterweight championship for 945 days and defended it three times, and at 44 he has taken the wrestling that built all of it back to an actual wrestling mat.
The wrestling came first and it was serious. He went 48-0 as a senior at McCluer High School in Florissant, Missouri and won the Class 4A state title at 160 pounds in 2000. At the University of Missouri he finished 110-38, became the first Big 12 champion in the programme's history in 2003, and earned All America honours twice, eighth at 165 pounds in 2003 and seventh in 2005.
He turned professional in mixed martial arts in February 2009, went 10-1 across Strikeforce and the regional circuit, and knocked out Robbie Lawler in 2:12 at UFC 201 in July 2016 for the welterweight belt. He lost it to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 in March 2019 and never won again in the octagon, dropping his last four to Usman, Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington and Vicente Luque.
Boxing did not go better: two losses to Jake Paul in 2021, the second by sixth round knockout, and a second round stoppage by a 50 year old Anderson Silva in December 2025, leaving him 0-3. Then RAF put him on its anniversary card in Cleveland against Joaquin Buckley. He went 8-1 down in the first period, a point from losing by technical superiority, scored thirteen unanswered and won 14-8. It was his first competitive win of any kind since Darren Till in 2018.
UFC.com bills his reign as four title defences and lists Stephen Thompson twice. Three of the four were wins. The fourth, UFC 205 in November 2016, was a majority draw: Woodley kept the belt because a champion keeps the belt on a draw, but he did not beat Thompson that night, which is exactly why the rematch was ordered. Wikipedia's summary repeats the four and Sports Illustrated headlined the draw as a successful defence. The three real defences are UFC 209, UFC 214 and UFC 228.
RAF Record
1-0 across 1 completed match, every one linked to its full card. A tech fall means a ten point lead ended it early, freestyle wrestling’s version of a squash.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2026 | RAF MOSCOW Announced | Khamzat Chimaev | – | Catchweight, main event |
| Aug 22, 2026 | RAF 12 RAF debut | Joaquin Buckley | W | dec 14-8 |
1 match on record, 1 announced
UFC record, decided bouts
9-6-1 across sixteen UFC bouts between 2013 and 2021. The fifteen decided bouts are below. The sixteenth, Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 on November 12, 2016, was a majority draw he left still holding the belt.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2021 | Vicente Luque | L | Submission, D'Arce choke | R1 3:56 | UFC 260 |
| Sep 19, 2020 | Colby Covington | L | TKO, rib injury | R5 1:19 | UFC Fight Night 178 |
| May 30, 2020 | Gilbert Burns | L | Decision, unanimous | R5 5:00 | UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns |
| Mar 2, 2019 | Kamaru Usman | L | Decision, unanimous | R5 5:00 | UFC 235 |
| Sep 8, 2018 | Darren Till | W | Submission, D'Arce choke | R2 4:19 | UFC 228, title defence |
| Jul 29, 2017 | Demian Maia | W | Decision, unanimous | R5 5:00 | UFC 214, title defence |
| Mar 4, 2017 | Stephen Thompson | W | Decision, majority | R5 5:00 | UFC 209, title defence |
| Jul 30, 2016 | Robbie Lawler | W | KO, punches | R1 2:12 | UFC 201, won the title |
| Jan 31, 2015 | Kelvin Gastelum | W | Decision, split | R3 5:00 | UFC 183 |
| Aug 23, 2014 | Dong Hyun Kim | W | TKO, punches | R1 1:01 | UFC Fight Night 48 |
| Jun 14, 2014 | Rory MacDonald | L | Decision, unanimous | R3 5:00 | UFC 174 |
| Mar 15, 2014 | Carlos Condit | W | TKO, knee injury | R2 2:00 | UFC 171 |
| Nov 16, 2013 | Josh Koscheck | W | KO, punches | R1 4:38 | UFC 167 |
| Jun 15, 2013 | Jake Shields | L | Decision, split | R3 5:00 | UFC 161 |
| Feb 2, 2013 | Jay Hieron | W | KO, punches | R1 0:36 | UFC 156, UFC debut |
15 bouts listed
Background
The wrestling is the deepest credential on this page, and it is worth being exact about it. He was an all state pick in 1999 and 2000 at McCluer High School in Florissant, went 48-0 as a senior, and took Missouri's Class 4A title at 160 pounds with a 3-1 decision over Adam Stern, the most wins of any Missouri state champion that year and only the third state title in his school's history. At the University of Missouri he wrestled four years at 165 pounds, finished 110-38, and in 2003 beat Iowa State's Nick Passolano 5-1 in overtime to become the first Big 12 champion the Missouri programme ever had. He was an NCAA Division I All American twice, eighth in 2003 and seventh in 2005, and graduated that year in agricultural economics. What is not there matters too: no NCAA title, no Olympic or senior world medal, and no senior freestyle national title is published for him. The closest are a 2006 University freestyle national runner up finish and a Real Pro Wrestling regional championship the same year. Missouri put him in its athletics hall of fame in 2019.
Rivalries
Colby Covington
Five rounds, and the finish is still argued over. Woodley's rib gave out at 1:19 of the fifth and the bout was waved off as a TKO by injury, which Covington has always framed as a quit. Covington holds RAF's Cruiserweight Crossover Championship on the same roster Woodley just joined.
Stephen Thompson
Ten rounds over four months for the belt: a majority draw in New York in November 2016, then a majority decision in Las Vegas in March 2017. Neither was popular, and the first is the reason his defence count is misreported to this day.
Joaquin Buckley
His RAF debut and his first competitive win since 2018. Buckley led 8-1 inside the first period, one point from ending it by technical superiority, and Woodley answered with thirteen straight to win 14-8.
Khamzat Chimaev
Announced as the catchweight main event of RAF's first card in Russia, two weeks after Cleveland. Chimaev pinned Dillon Danis in 41 seconds on his own RAF debut at RAF 10.
FAQ
Is Tyron Woodley a professional wrestler?
No. He is a former UFC welterweight champion competing in freestyle wrestling for RAF. RAF matches are real competition scored under freestyle rules, not worked pro wrestling matches. He wrestled at Missouri long before he ever fought.
How many times did he defend the UFC welterweight title?
Three: Stephen Thompson at UFC 209, Demian Maia at UFC 214 and Darren Till at UFC 228. UFC.com says four because it counts the UFC 205 majority draw with Thompson, which he did not win.
What is his RAF record?
1-0. He beat Joaquin Buckley 14-8 at RAF 12 in Cleveland on August 22, 2026, after trailing 8-1 in the first period.
Was he an NCAA champion?
No. He was an NCAA Division I All American twice at Missouri, eighth at 165 pounds in 2003 and seventh in 2005, and the first Big 12 champion in Missouri history. He never won a national title.
What is his professional boxing record?
0-3. He lost twice to Jake Paul in 2021 and was stopped in the second round by Anderson Silva in December 2025.
Who does he face next?
Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Moscow on September 5, 2026, in a catchweight main event.