Is Tyron Woodley still in the UFC?

Tyron Woodley is no longer contracted as a fighter by the UFC. His last octagon outing came against Vicente Luque at UFC 260, where 'The Chosen One' lost via submission in the first round. The loss marked the former welterweight champion's fourth consecutive octagon defeat.

Following the fight, the MMA circuit was rife with speculation that Woodley had been cut from the UFC. However, this was only partially true. The rumors stemmed from the exclusion of 'The Chosen One' from the UFC welterweight rankings. Woodley's manager took to Twitter in a bid to ease his fans' tensions and reassure them of his position.

No they didn’t. His contract was up. https://t.co/mkdQ7Pa8CT

— malki kawa (@malkikawa) April 24, 2021

This essentially means that Tyron Woodley is currently a free agent. Although he is not explicitly a part of Dana White's roster, he technically has not been 'cut' from it either.

However, his status as a free agent bars the UFC from ranking him alongside other contracted welterweights. What's more, his profile on UFC.com lists his status as 'Not Fighting'.

Tyron Woodley is not the first UFC veteran to be out of the rankings

At the age of 39, Tyron Woodley can very well be regarded as one of the veterans of the sport. However, unlike the fighters that came before him, T-Wood's peak was over way before he could be regarded as an old warhorse.

Woodley's heyday is long gone, recording four losses on the trot against Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington, and Vicente Luque.

The UFC is infamous for its ruthlessness when it comes to offloading fighters that are past their prime. Yoel Romero, Yorgan De Castro, Alistair Overeem, and Junior Dos Santos were some unfortunate few who found their heads on the chopping block.

What awaits Tyron Woodley?

'The Chosen One' is scheduled to take on Jake Paul in the squared circle sometime soon. If Tyron Woodley manages to find his way back to winning ways against 'The Problem Child', the wrestling maestro could undoubtedly raise his stock in the eyes of the MMA world.

Sources: Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley have agreed to a deal for a boxing match. Jake recently signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime. Friday face-off in Miami planned to promote the event. Paul coming off first-round KO of Ben Askren

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) May 31, 2021

Tyron Woodley is set to be in a prime position to avenge Ben Askren's loss, considering how the former was in his corner when Jake Paul put him to sleep.

A win against this young gun could be just what Woodley needs to rally for the support he has lost from much of the MMA community over the last couple of years.

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