Tyron Woodley isn’t going to miss out on his chance to fight Darren Till at UFC 228, regardless of his opponent’s weight.
The welterweight title fight is set for Sept. 8, more than a year after Woodley last defended his belt against Demian Maia.
Related: Woodley-Till welterweight title fight booked for UFC 228
“I’m chasing greatness,” Woodley told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Monday. “If he doesn’t make weight, he takes away for me the opportunity to add a fourth title defense on my résumé. Whether he’s 176 or 170 on the dot, he’s still going to get that ass-whopping.”
Till, who’s had issues with cutting weight in the past, has a UFC record of 5-0-1. He most recently arrived 3 1/2 pounds over the limit for a fight against Stephen Thompson in May. The two sides were able to come to a financial arrangement, and Till would defeat Thompson by unanimous decision.
No. 6 welterweight contender Kamaru Usman was recently named as the official backup for the title fight, but Woodley says he has no interest in that happening in the event of Till missing his mark.
“I’m a world champion. I deserve proper notice,” Woodley said. “I deserve proper time to prepare and train for a world title I’ve worked so hard for. If he wants to fight me, it’s going to be a full training camp. I’ll gladly take that if offered.”
Woodley claimed the belt after knocking out Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 in 2016.
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