Kamaru Usman Shows Signed Bout Agreement to Fight Tyron Woodley
Kamaru Usman has revealed a signed contract to face welterweight champion Tyron Woodley but that doesn’t mean the fight is a done deal.
On Wednesday, Usman revealed his signed copy of the bout agreement for a fight against Woodley with sources close to the situation confirming it is a legitimate contract with the bout currently rumored for UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas.
“Hope the hand is ready champ Tyron Woodley,” Usman wrote on Twitter. “The UFC bout agreement has been signed and I’ll see you soon.”
Hope the hand is ready champ @TWooodley the @ufc bout agreement has been signed and I’ll see you soon ?????? #AndNew #NigerianNightmare #GoTime @AliAbdelaziz00 @danawhite @seanshelby @Mickmaynard2 pic.twitter.com/3cP1V1whQr
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) December 12, 2018
UFC president Dana White hinted that Usman might jump the queue to get the next crack at the title after his five round unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos at ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ 28 Finale at the end of November.
That said, Usman’s bout agreement doesn’t mean this fight is actually going to happen as sources have additionally stated that Woodley hasn’t signed and there’s no telling if he’ll actually accept the fight or not.
For months, the UFC has been trying to book Woodley in a fight against former interim champion Colby Covington but various obstacles have prevented that matchup from happening.
Most recently, Woodley vs. Covington was targeted as the main event for UFC 233 in Anaheim but the reigning welterweight champion was still recovering from thumb surgery and wasn’t able to compete as early as Junuary. The UFC then tried to book Usman against Covington in a non-title fight.
Covington has stated that he has no interest in facing anyone other than Woodley.
UFC 233 was cancelled on Wednesday after the UFC was unable to find a main event for the card.
Now it appears the UFC is attempting to usurp Covington’s title shot but offering the fight to Usman instead but this isn’t the first time a situation like this has unfolded.
Prior to UFC 205 as the promotion was attempting to book then lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez against Conor McGregor, it was Khabib Nurmagomedov who showed off a signed bout agreement saying that he was offered a shot at the 155-pound title.
In the end, Alvarez ultimately signed to face McGregor and Nurmagomedov ended up competing on the undercard of that same event against Michael Johnson.
There’s no telling what will happen this time around but Usman is obviously doing his part to sign the bout agreement for the fight he’s been offered against Woodley.
