UFC 228: 4 reasons why Darren Till will beat Tyron Woodley

#3: Woodley’s coming off a massive layoff – and isn’t getting younger

Woodley hasn't fought since a July 2017 clash with Demian Maia

Despite reeling off a solid three title defences since winning the Welterweight crown from Robbie Lawler in July 2016, it’s actually been over a year since we’ve seen Tyron Woodley inside the Octagon. His last fight was his dull decision victory over Demian Maia at UFC 214, back in July 2017. Since then he’s been on the shelf rehabbing a serious injury – a torn labrum.

During the time that Woodley has been on the shelf, in contrast Till has fought – and won – three times. Sure, that doesn’t always matter – Dominick Cruz proved that so-called cage rust isn’t always an issue by winning the UFC Bantamweight title after well over a year away – but in the world of MMA, time flies. And that means it isn’t just the layoff Woodley needs to contend with.

It’s also a fact that Woodley is 36 years old – over a decade older than Till – and he’s been competing in MMA now for almost a decade. His first loss to Nate Marquardt doesn’t feel that long ago, and yet it was 6 years ago, and he’s been in the UFC now fighting tough opponents for 5 years. For an older fighter who relies so much on speed and athleticism, this kind of layoff is very worrying – especially when he’s facing a hungry young challenger like Till.

It’s also notable that former Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez suffered a torn labrum during his fight with Brock Lesnar back in 2010. And when he returned from a year on the shelf, he suffered his first career loss at the hands of Junior Dos Santos. Could the same happen to Woodley this weekend?