Why did Tyron Woodley leave the UFC? Here's how he lost his boxing match against Jake Paul

Sports Court: Tyron 'The Chosen One' Woodley discusses upcoming UFC 201 and responds to Robbie Lawler's statement that Woodley 'isn't my teammate'

Tyron Woodley reached the height of his mixed-martial arts fighting career when he was crowned as the UFC's Welterweight Champion in 2016. For nearly three years, Woodley successfully defended his title on four occasions. His overall fighting record stands at nineteen wins and seven losses. 

Woodley won the welterweight championship during UFC 201 against the former champ Robbie Lawler on July 30, 2016, via knockout in the first round. He won to defend the title against fighters such as Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, and Darren Till. However, in 2019 Woodley lost the title in the co-main event at UFC 235 against Kamaru Usman. During the match, Usman dominated Woodley, who lost by a unanimous decision. 

"I went into a state of depression for a while," Woodley told reporters while reflecting on his defeat years later. "I really wasn’t talking to many people, I was eating terrible, I wasn’t training, and I just really didn’t expect – I felt like all my competition before Kamaru Usman was my stiffest competition."

"I felt like my strategy, my gameplan, my studying, my coaches, my team, I felt like I had everything in position to win. So I really had to deal with that, and it took longer than any other fight in my career."

JAKE PAUL SHOWS OFF LED LIGHTS ON TRUNKS AHEAD OF TYRON WOODLEY FIGHT

Tyron Woodley is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and recently started a new career in boxing after fighting YouTube sensation Jake Paul.  (Getty Images)

In April 2021, it was announced that Woodley would no longer appear on the UFC roster after eight years of competing with the promotion.