Under torsdagsnatten meddelade UFC:s VD Dana White att han försöker få till en match mellan de två welterviktarna Hector Lombard och Tyron Woodley, trots att de båda tränar på samma klubb, American Top Team. Enligt White har Lombard inga problem att gå matchen men Woodley vill inte.
White berättade under gårdagens mediascrum att han försökt att övertala Woodley men att welterviktaren fortfarande är skeptisk.
I sat down with Woodley after his fight in China. And, he won easily, quick in and out. I said listen, we need you again, what do you think about fighting Hector Lombard in Australia, main event. He said ‘that’s my teammate man, I don’t want to fight my teammate.’ I said dude, your teammate, you guys are three of the top five. You have to fight each other.
White berättade även att han hade pratat med ATT:s grundare, Dan Lambert, om detta och att Lambert hade förståelse för den rådande situationen i welterviktsklassen.
I talked to Dan Lambert and I said listen, this is the fight I want to make. So Lambert hits me back and says, Lombard’s in, he wants the fight. Still talking to Woodley. He hits me again and says Woodley’s out, Woodley won’t take the fight.
Enligt White skrev Lambert ett meddelande till White vid ett senare tillfälle där han bad om att få till matchen mellan Lombard och Woodley.
I’m literally flying here [to Sacramento], I’m on the plane, I’m wheels up, and I get a text from Hector Lombard that says, ‘please get this Woodley fight done for me, I want this fight so bad, he’s a two-faced phony and I want to beat his ass.’ Literally what he said to me. So I called Woodley when I landed, and said, obviously this isn’t a teammate thing, here’s what your teammate said, and he wants this fight bad. And he said he can say whatever he wants, he’s about him and he’s always about him, this fight doesn’t work for me and my brand. He started telling me all these reasons why he doesn’t want this fight. I said, whatever kid. Do your thing. But he wants nothing to do with Hector.
UFC:s tilltänkta gala i Australien äger rum den 8:e december.
