Since parting ways with the UFC a month ago, Tyron Woodley sure has been busy. Woodley’s contract with the UFC expired, and on the back of four consecutive losses, the former Welterweight champion has pursued other interests. His most recent excursion outside of the Octagon is a (probably?) NSFW appearance in R&B singer Mai Lee’s video for “Redd (Swim)”.
The video prominently features Tyron Woodley as Mai Lee’s love interest. Over the course of the video, they take a bath, cuddle, and she tries to seduce the fighter. Tyron Woodley is no stranger to acting, with roles in Straight Outta Compton and Kickboxer: Vengeance. In fact, he’s no stranger to the music business.
WTF is Tyron Woodley up to?
Tyron Woodley dipped his toes into the rap game back in 2019, releasing several videos and collaborating with Wiz Khalifa. He even released a song titled “I’ll Beat Yo Ass” after defeating Darren Till. Woodley’s rap career wasn’t exactly well-received by MMA fans, and he became the butt of many jokes over his flirtation with the music business.
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It’s a bizarre career move for a professional fighter to appear in a music genre so far removed from the UFC or sports in general. The kind of smooth, seductive R&B Mai Lee is famous for is not the sort of music one associates with mixed martial arts. Woodley’s rap “persona” was built around his notoriety as a fighter, making this particular musical sojourn even more inexplicable.
At his peak, Tyron Woodley was a formidable Welterweight, knocking out Robbie Lawler to win his championship. He was the first to defeat Darren Till, before his three-year reign as champion was decisively finished by Kamaru Usman. Considering the scalps Usman has claimed since, there’s no shame in that particular loss.
Although Woodley has been absent from the Octagon since March, the fighter has been spending time in the headlines. His ongoing feud with YouTuber-turned-surprisingly-good-boxer Jake Paul is ongoing, and may result in Woodley mimicking Conor McGregor and stepping into the boxing ring. Tyron Woodley would be the first opponent with any striking ability to face Jake Paul, who has yet to face a professional boxer in his entire boxing career. Love it or hate it, Jake Paul’s boxing career has been studded with money fights, and a big payday for an outgoing champ like Tyron Woodley could be very tempting.
What do you think? Will Tyron Woodley continue to play bit parts in music videos, or will he take on Jake Paul in the boxing ring? Does the former champion have what it takes to seriously compete in MMA ever again, or is his fighting career over?
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