Kamaru Usman was recently drafted in as an alternate who would train and be ready to fight welterweight champion Tyron Woodley if Darren Till dropped out for any reason at UFC 228 on September 8th.
However, Woodley has now revealed that there’s no chance that he’ll be putting his title on the line against a short-notice opponent like Usman if the worst case scenario does happen and Till drops out.
“Me and Usman will fight at some point in time, and I’m with it,” Woodley told Ariel Helwani on his MMA Show this week. “I’m with it. I’m with fighting him, I’m with fighting Mike Perry, all these dudes I respect. I like a person who brings true skill sets to the table and is a true fighter. I’m with it all day. But I’m not going to fight (Usman) on no 24-hours notice.
“I’ve been training for a six-foot-three striker, a southpaw. Not a five-foot-ten poor stand-up. Negative. I don’t do what I do the best because I wing s–t. I train, I prepare, I strategize. I break my opponent down to a molecule and I drown them. I leave them empty, I take away all their best gifts, and then I snipe them. I’m not going to switch it up in five minutes.
“I’m a world champion. I deserve proper notice. I deserve proper time to prepare and train for a world title that I worked so hard for. I’m not going to step in. I’m not that guy. Go grab f—ing Cowboy (Cerrone). I’m a professional, and I’m a champion. If (Usman) wants to fight me, it’s going to be on a full training camp. And I would gladly take him up on that offer.”
However, as things stand Till is still on course to fight Woodley early next month, but it remains to be seen whether Usman will stay on the sidelines now that he knows there won’t be an opportunity to compete for the title regardless of what happens between now and fight night.
