'I've just got to win this fight for myself' - Tyron Woodley dodges question about his UFC future being in jeopardy

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley refused to answer a question about his UFC future in the event of a loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 260. Woodley said that his next fight is a personal battle that he needs to win for himself.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani of ESPN, Tyron Woodley was asked if he has to defeat Vicente Luque to continue to save his UFC career. T-Wood dodged the question and told Ariel Helwani that he was thinking about the performance without necessarily indulging in thoughts about the aftermath of the fight.

"I've just got to win this fight for myself. I can win this fight and stick around in the UFC and still not compete. My friend told me, 'Be performance-centric. Think about performance. Don't think about title fights, don't think about what's next,'" said Woodley. "So I think I just have to do it for myself."

No.7 ranked UFC welterweight contender Tyron Woodley (19-6-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) is scheduled to fight No.10 ranked Vicente Luque (19-7-1 MMA, 12-3 UFC) at UFC 260 on Saturday.

The fight was promoted to the co-main event slot after the featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols on March 21st. More details are yet to emerge about the cancellation.

Tyron Woodley could get cut from the UFC roster if he loses at UFC 260

Ariel Helwani's question to Tyron Woodley was about the UFC's recent spree of parting ways with multiple high-profile competitors, who are also on a downward spiral in their fighting careers.

The UFC released Anthony Pettis, Yoel Romero, Anthony Johnson, and more recently, Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos, some of the promotion's most iconic names.

The UFC's actions are presumably due to the high financial cost of employing veterans that don't have a lot of time left in the sport. The promotion recently shifted its focus to signing younger talent to build future contenders and champions.

Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem leave the UFC as two of the seven heavyweights to ever reach 20 octagon appearances.They also rank in the top-5 in heavyweight history for knockouts and knockdowns. Few have done it like these two. pic.twitter.com/GxAVvwOQko

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) March 4, 2021

Tyron Woodley's recent three-fight losing skid after a dominant title reign has prompted many to question his place in the welterweight division.

Woodley's next opponent Vicente Luque is a No. 9 ranked welterweight fighter and a major step down in competition. The former champ has mostly competed against the top three of the division for over half a decade.

Calls for the 38-year-old's retirement will only get louder if he loses to Luque at UFC 260, putting him in a similar position as some of the fighters who were recently released from their UFC contracts.