It looks like former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will be returning to action on May 23rd and his opponent is rumored to be Gilbert Burns.
Woodley was originally supposed to headline UFC: London in March against Leon Edwards before it was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, but now Dana White has spilled the beans that he’s now going to be fronting the upcoming card in Jacksonville, Florida.
“We’re working on a fight with (Woodley) right now,” White told ESPN. “After these three dates, we’re coming right back. We’re going to do four fights in 14 days. After May 9, the UFC schedule is back on. We’re back on and running. We’re looking at a fight for Woodley. Woodley will probably be the fourth fight. He’ll be the main event.”
Not long after White’s interview, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani then reported on Twitter that Burns is on the verge of being signed as his opponent.
“Spoke to Tyron Woodley today,” Helwani wrote. “He said he’s leaning towards accepting a main event fight against Gilbert Burns on May 23. Fight isn’t signed yet but it’s looking good at the moment, he said. “I waited as long I could for Colby [Covington],” he said. “But he doesn’t want it, so I’m moving on.”
Woodley hasn’t fought since he lost the 170lb title to Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision in March of last year, while Burns is currently on a five fight winning streak, having defeated the likes of Alexey Kunchenko, Gunar Nelson and Demian Maia within the past year.
