UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has his fans and his fair share of haters. But watch his latest Instagram video, then try to be in the latter camp.
Fresh off shoulder surgery, Woodley (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) posted an Instagram video of him standing in front of a house on a snowy day.
That house? A present to his mom.
Woodley, you see, has had a very specific benchmark of success since he started his journey as a professional athlete. He just reached it – right in time for Christmas.
Obviously emotional, Woodley fights back tears as he prepares to bring his kids out to share the moment.
“It’s a very special Christmas for me,” Woodley said. “Since I was a 10-year-old kid, I always told told my mom that I would buy her house. I said, ‘Momma, I’m going to be a pro athlete, and I’m going to buy you a house.’
“I told her that when I was a kid and, woo, today is that day. Get to cash in on something I promised my mom a long time ago. It feels really good. Really rewarding. My kids are in the car, because they’re part of this as well. They’re going to get out in a minute and see granny’s new house.”
The year has brought equal bouts of success and challenge for Woodley. The 35-year-old native of Ferguson, Miss., defended the belt twice, outpointing Stephen Thompson in a rematch at UFC 209 and then shutting down the surging Demian Maia at UFC 214.
The champ also endured a serenade of criticism from onlookers who criticized his style and gameplan. He brushed off the online haters, but it was hard to ignore the snub from UFC President Dana White, who passed him over for a “money fight” with ex-welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, then denied an offer to face Nate Diaz at UFC 219.
After the fight with Diaz failed to materialize for the Dec. 30 pay-per-view event, Woodley decided to fix his shoulder and heal up rather than wait for an opportunity to arise. He now plans to return in the first quarter of next year.
In the meantime, he’s keeping other promises.
“God is good people,” he said. “He’s faithful to us, stay faithful to him. A really good day for me. Really excited.”
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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