Former UFC Champ Tyron Woodley Wants To Fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, ‘I Gotta See What It Feels Like’

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley may have lost his belt to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235, but it didn’t prevent him from calling out big names in the world of mixed martial arts. After UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully defended his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, Woodley expressed his desire to face “The Eagle,” adding himself to the growing list of MMA fighters who want to fight the undefeated Russian icon.

In a Q&A at Rogers Arena, which is currently posted on YouTube, Tyron Woodley praised Khabib Nurmagomedov for his impressive victory against Dustin Poirier and gave a simple reason why he wanted to fight him in the octagon.

“He’s a beast,” Woodley said, as quoted by MMA Fighting. “I just think that right now in my life and my career, I need the impossible. I need the stuff that nobody can do, I need the thing that’s gonna motivate me beyond measure and I think that he provides that.”

However, Tyron Woodley admitted that he could never fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at 155. If Nurmagomedov agrees to fight him in the octagon, Woodley said that they would need to meet at a certain catchweight. As of now, Woodley is fully aware that there is only a minimal chance for him to be Nurmagomedov’s next opponent. However, after seeing him destroy Dustin Poirier, Woodley said that he couldn’t help himself but imagine how it would feel facing a man as great as Nurmagomedov.

“He’s on top of the world right now, I might not even be an option for him. It’s more out of respect of what he can do. I know Dustin, he spars middleweights, light heavyweights, and for him to go out there and put on a performance like that against Dustin, I gotta see what it feels like.”

Tyron Woodley and Khabib Nurmagomedov would undeniably be an intriguing matchup, but “The Chosen One” is right. As of now, Nurmagomedov’s camp and the UFC are not considering Woodley as an option to be the next opponent for “The Eagle.” After his successful title defense against Dustin Poirier, three MMA fighters emerged as top challengers for Nurmagomedov.

These include Tony Ferguson, Conor McGregor, and Georges St-Pierre. Though nothing is official now, UFC President Dana White said that Ferguson will be next in line for Khabib Nurmagomedov and hinted at McGregor as a possible replacement if “El Cucuy” isn’t available. However, according to a previous The Inquisitr article, Nurmagomedov’s camp has no interest in Ferguson nor McGregor and is keeping an eye on another fighter — former UFC middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre.