Tyron Woodley (photo via YouTube)

By FCF Staff

Although Tyron Woodley has lost three straight, and will turn 39 next month, the fighter hasn’t lost confidence in his abilities to be the UFC’s top welterweight.

Woodley is set to face Vicente Luque this Saturday at UFC 260, which will mark the first time he’s competed, since he lost to rival Colby Covington in September. That TKO defeat followed one-sided, decision losses to Gilbert Burns and the current champ, Kamaru Usman.

Despite his recent setbacks, however, Woodley recently had this to say, while talking to the media (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“Quitting is not an option,” Woodley said. “I’ve got to go out on top like I plan to do in the way I saw myself at the beginning of the sport. That’s not the way. It wasn’t losing to these guys. Although they were the champion, one, and two. But on paper, I’m a better fighter than all of them.”

“I just see myself controlling the variables that I can control,” Woodley said. “I’ve trained. I’ve put my body through the fire. I’m ready to go. Just performing, performing. I don’t even know how I can say it any different way. I’m trying to draw some more fancier, $50 words for you but that’s all it really boils down to is performing. I do that against (Luque) and I just focus on who’s in front of me. Every fight is the biggest fight, and after that, it’s the next biggest fight and performance. If I can do that, I think I’ll be fine.”

Woodley (19-6-1) had gone undefeated in seven straight fights, prior to facing Usman in March, 2019.

The 29-year-old Luque (19-7-1), meanwhile, is coming off consecutive wins over Randy Brown and Niko Price. His only defeats since 2015 have been against Leon Edwards and Stephen Thompson.