Even though he’s just a few days removed from shoulder surgery, Tyron Woodley expects to fight in the first three months of 2018.

Woodley (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC), the UFC’s welterweight champion, told TMZ Sports that surgery on his right shoulder in South Florida was a success and he expects to be back training inside two months. Woodley also will be back front and center next week as an analyst for FS1’s coverage of UFC 219.

“I had orthoscopic surgery on my right shoulder,” Woodley said. “My shoulder was beat up a lot more than what they thought. I had bone spurs in there. They had to tack down my labrum and clean out some other stuff. I’m going to come back as the bionic man.”

Woodley has not fought since a unanimous decision win over Demian Maia in the co-main event at UFC 214 in July. There are a handful of potential options for the champ once he gets back to work.

Former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (28-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) beat ex-welterweight champ Robbie Lawler (28-12 MMA, 13-6 UFC) handily at UFC on FOX 26 a week ago and appeared to put himself in line to fight Woodley. But Woodley said he was not thrilled with dos Anjos’ performance.

“I wasn’t too impressed with him, to be honest,” Woodley said. “… Would I be open to fighting him? Yeah. But is he the top fighter on my list? No.”

Colby Covington (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has been lobbying for a fight with the champ. Then there’s Georges St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC), who returned from a four-year layoff to win the middleweight title against Michael Bisping, only to vacate it while dealing with ulcerative colitis; his return could come at welterweight. And lightweight champion Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who has two recent fights at 170 pounds, always seems to be an appealing option for fighters who know the extra revenue he would bring to the table.

But before any decision is made on who’s next for him, Woodley will be in recovery mode after surgery with famed Dr. James Andrews, who arguably is the most well-known sports surgeon in history, especially for shoulder and elbow injuries.

The list of athletes Andrews has had under his knife reads like a who’s-who of all-time greats, including Bo Jackson, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Drew Brees, Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood, John Smoltz, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Jack Nicklaus, and in the combat sports and pro wrestling realms, Phil “CM Punk” Brooks and Triple H.

“The reason I came (to South Florida) is Dr. (James) Andrews,” Woodley said. “He’s very, very famous for the shoulder surgery, and also the Tommy John surgery to the elbow. He’s supposed to be the No. 1 surgeon in the country for these types of injuries. I came out here for that purpose alone.

“With the stem cell and (platelet rich plasma injections), the new technology and science, I’m going to be fighting in the first quarter of next year. In two months, I’ll be punching something.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.