As we wait to see when and who Tyron Woodley fights next, the welterweight champ continues to feud with the UFC’s reigning, middleweight king, Israel Adesanya. Although, Woodley continues to argue that he’s not responsible for kicking off the rivalry.

Woodley insists new feud isn’t his fault

Tensions between Adesanya and Woodley have ratcheted up, after the latter repeated his plans to make a run at 185 pounds. Woodley also proceeded to say that he doesn’t think Adesanya is “as dope” as lots of people think, and the middleweight champ was quick to respond.

Well, Woodley has insisted he wasn’t calling Adesanya out, and during a more recent appearance on TMZ Sports, he repeated that claim.

“So the question that was posed to me – and it’s been asked many, many times – would I ever move up to go to middleweight? And my answer is yes.

My answer’s gonna be yes whether Israel’s f*cking sitting next to me, it’s gonna be yes whether Dana asks me, or a f*cking person from around the corner, Sam sausage-head from the alley.

No matter who asks me, I’m gonna say yes because if you want to be one of the best fighters on Earth, you have to fight the best.

Many fighters have bumped up weight classes, dropped down weight classes, and shuffle around to prove that they’re the baddest man alive. They’ve done it in boxing, they’ve done it in mixed martial arts, you see that theme that fighters are trying to attack that double belt in the UFC. So of course.

“How many times have I said that Israel Adesanya, he’s a stud, he’s a star, and given him kudos? A lot. So I think he took it personal.

He’s really sensitive and when somebody starts getting in their feelings – I had the same situation with Robbie Lawler – that means there’s a little b*tch in the blood, and now I want to test it out.”

Is Adesanya being too sensitive? Or understandable?

Woodley points to his win over Kelvin Gastelum

The former welterweight champ also proceeded to outline why he believes he’d be a big test for Adesanya. In doing so, Woodley pointed to his 2015 bout with Gastelum, which he won by slit decision. Adesanya, meanwhile, faced Gastelum last year and won via UD.

“When I look at Israel Adesanya, I got to look at his weakness. And his weakness may not be something that we’ve seen exploited, but it’s something that he’s protecting,” Woodley said.

“It’s a reason why he fights so hard after getting taken down, it’s a reason why he wants to keep the fight standing: because that’s what he does best. But look at the fight against Kelvin Gastelum.

Kelvin Gastelum, for much of that fight, was winning. I don’t know if you recall when I fought Kelvin ‘Fatselum’ but I fought him when he was at middleweight and I was at welterweight and my fight didn’t look nothing like that.

I came out there, face clean, broke my foot in the first round, and I made pretty easy work of Kelvin Gastelum. That was a Fight of the Year candidate.

That tells me that if I’m a better striker than Gastelum, I punch harder than Gastelum, I’m a better wrestler than Gastelum, I have a better I.Q. than Gastelum and I can be – you’ve got to think about me taking you down, you’ve got to think about me knocking you out, you’ve got to think about me submitting you, you’ve got to think about me making you miss, you’ve got to think about my explosiveness.

I’m gonna give you so many things to think about and he’s already sensitive, and he’s already in his feelings, so I feel confident about the fight.”

“Israel, quit being a little b*tch, quit being whiny,” Woodley concluded. “If you ever want to do it, you know how to get in touch with me. I ain’t hard to find.”

All this makes for interesting drama. But, it’s hard to imagine these two fighting anytime soon.

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