Tyron Woodley opens up on depression and feeling like a 'laughing stock' after Usman dethroned him

Tyron Woodley has spoken candidly about the mental toll of losing his UFC welterweight title to Kamaru Usman in 2018, telling journalist Ariel Helwani that the defeat sent him to “rock bottom” and left him convinced the entire sport was laughing at him.

Woodley had been unbeaten in seven consecutive fights since 2014, successfully defending the welterweight belt four times, before Usman dismantled him via a dominant unanimous decision. The loss, one-sided in the eyes of most observers, proved to be a turning point that extended well beyond the octagon.

“Rock bottom is when I thought everybody was laughing at me,” Woodley said. “I thought the UFC was laughing at me. Usman was laughing at me. During my title reign, I was in a divorce; I had a girlfriend; I had a kid. I had all this stuff; I was spending $40,000 a month; being dumb… When I lost the belt, it was like a state of depression where I felt like everybody finally got what they wanted.”

Woodley credited UFC Hall of Famer and close friend Demetrious Johnson with attempting to pull him out of that dark period. “D.J. tried for a long time to put me out of it,” he said.

The struggles did not end with the Usman defeat. Woodley never won another UFC fight and was released by the promotion in 2021 following a four-fight losing streak. He then moved into boxing, where he suffered three straight losses including a knockout defeat to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

A measure of relief finally arrived when Woodley secured a wrestling victory over Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12, snapping a prolonged winless run. “After I beat Buckley, I’m like, finally, it’s over with,” he said. That winning feeling proved short-lived, however — Woodley subsequently suffered a pinfall loss to Khamzat Chimaev in a wrestling match at RAF Moscow earlier this month.

Now carrying a professional MMA record of 19-7, Woodley’s account offers a rare and unguarded look at the psychological cost of losing a championship at the highest level of the sport.