Tyron Woodley Still a Fight or Two Away From Challenging Nick Diaz in Strikeforce

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Damon Martin mmaweekly.com

The welterweight division in Strikeforce is looking for a new contender to challenge Nick Diaz whenever he’s ready to do MMA again. The man who wants the job is former Missouri wrestler and 8-0 fighter Tyron Woodley.

Woodley is coming off a win over Tarec Saffiedine in January. He has been rising up the ranks ever since he started fighting back in early 2009.

Woodley sat cageside during the title fight between Nick Diaz and Paul Daley recently, with a close eye on the action, hoping to challenge the victor sometime soon.

First things first, Woodley will need to get another win or two. This is according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who believes Woodley has all the tools to present a serious challenge to Diaz, but just not right now.

“I would think one or two times more,” Coker told MMAWeekly Radio when asked how many fights Woodley was away from a title shot.

“Tyron wants (Diaz), Tyron wants him bad. He wore a shirt to the fight saying ‘I Got Next,’ so he definitely wants to fight Nick. Let’s see how Tyron does in his next fight and we’ll go from there.”

An amazing wrestler with ever improving overall MMA skills, Woodley could be just the challenge that Diaz needs. For now, however, Diaz seems focused on his boxing career, because he doesn’t believe there are currently any top contenders at 170 pounds in Strikeforce.

Currently being the operative word.

With the right work, Coker fully believes Woodley could be the future of the welterweight division, and just the right person to give Diaz a serious challenge.

“When you think of a guy like Tyron Woodley, give him a couple more fights,” Coker said. “I think he’s going to be a dangerous opponent.”

Coker didn’t have any updates on when or who Woodley would fight next, but a summer return is most likely for the welterweight contender.