In UFC 183, Woodley is the veteran contender, Gastelum the unbeaten upstart
ST. LOUIS -- The script has been reversed for St. Louis UFC welterweight Tyron Woodley.
Not that long ago, Woodley was the unbeaten upstart looking to take down the veteran contender on the way to a shot at the title. The opponent was Nate Marquardt, the year was 2012 and at stake was the Strikeforce welterweight title.
Woodley was pummeled in a fourth-round TKO.
This time, on Super Bowl eve in Las Vegas, Woodley will be the veteran contender looking to beat down the unbeaten upstart, Kelvin Gastelum, in the co-main event of UFC 183 at the MGM Grand.
"I remember being like Kelvin, that spunky kid coming off a great win," Woodley says. "I ran into a humbling moment. I think he'll have that same experience."
Middleweights Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz will square off in a five-round bout that will serve as the main event on the pay-per-view card.
The way Woodley, 32, sees it, he has as much on the line as Gastelum, 23. He had hoped to have secured a shot at the title by now, but his road to a championship bout was sidetracked last June when he lost to Rory MacDonald. Woodley rebounded two months later with a first-round TKO of Dong Hyun Kim to reaffirm his status as a top contender. Woodley will be ranked third and listed as the favorite against the seventh-ranked Gastelum.
After fighting four times in nine months as he charged into the welterweight title picture, Woodley took the first real break of his career. He stayed plenty busy enough, though, managing his ATT Evolution gym, making appearances in his hometown of Ferguson, Mo., trekking to Hollywood to appear in a movie (Straight Outta Compton, due out later this year) and moving his family into a new home.
The time out of the cage allowed Woodley time for more than resting and healing. He was able to sit back and gain some perspective on the welterweight division and his road to a potential title bout. A victory this weekend is not likely to vault him right into a championship match but should bring him to within one fight of his ultimate goal.
Woodley, however, needs to do more than merely beat Gastelum. He needs to put on a wow performance that excites fans, the UFC and UFC matchmakers. The more impressive his performance, the closer he gets to the title shot.
"Not only does he have to win, he has to make a statement," trainer Din Thomas told MMAjunkie.com. "We want it to look good."
Woodley has the tools to please the crowd. A wrestling All-American at Missouri, Woodley has become known for his explosive striking. Gastelum has said he has been most impressed by Woodley's athleticism.
"I'm a little bit faster, a little bit stronger, I'm a little bit better wrestler," Woodley says. "That's going to be the difference in the fight. I don't have to sugarcoat what my game plan is. My game plan is to be better in every area."
Gastelum is known for attacking early and often. He is thicker than Woodley and also is considered a good all-around cage fighter. He will be looking to wear down Woodley.
"I put up a sort of pace that I don't know a lot of people can put up with," he told reporters. "A guy like Tyron is going to have a hard time dealing with it."
Woodley shrugs at such talk. While the respect the fighters have for each other is clear, Woodley has been around plenty long enough to understand how talking big is part of the business.
He was no less cocky when he put his unbeaten record on the line three years ago, only to return home with a decisive loss.
"I know what that feels like, so I'll be able to share that moment with him. Tell him how to rebuild. Tell him how to move forward," Woodley says. "I'm just not in a position mentally where I'm ready to lose to anybody. It doesn't matter what they do or who they are. I feel like it's my time to really start coming into my own."
He will have no problem making the upstart wait a while longer. After all, he knows the feeling.
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @StanMcNeal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
