I tell him not to go two years before his next fight, and he laughs, knowing that injury-induced layoffs have been his biggest adversity since joining the UFC roster after stopping McKinney in from the third season of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. After his memorable victory nearly five years ago, Woodson impressed by posting a 4-1-1 record, but one fight in 2022 and one in 2023 n t’s not the type of schedule he wants because he’s been constantly forced to reintroduce himself.
“The fans are really fickle in the fight game,” he said. “They have this short-term memory and it doesn’t help that I usually fight every eight to 10 months or once a year. But with the big name, I was very happy to have fought this fight in five months.
UFC 297 Breakdown with Brendan Fitzgerald and Sayif Saud
In that last fight in August, Woodson outpointed Dennis Buzukja, who made it clear that preparing for a 6-foot-2 ½ featherweight on short notice was not ideal. “The Sniper” is aware of the stylistic nightmare he poses for his 145-pound opponents, and he benefits from that advantage, even if it cost him some paychecks as he sought out fights.
“I’m not one of those guys that likes to brag and say, ‘Oh, everyone’s afraid to fight me’ and this and that,” he said. “I don’t think guys are necessarily afraid to fight me, but that’s exactly what you said. I just feel like they know I’m a bad match. It’s hard to prepare me, and they just know I’m not going to be a cakewalk or an easy fight. They know they are going to face serious problems when they fight me.