Dana White Teases Tyron Woodley May Return at UFC 228

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is nearly ready to book his next fight but he may not be on the same page as his employers.

Following shoulder surgery that’s kept him out of action in 2018, Woodley has been teasing his return to action with plans to be ready to fight again by August.

Woodley has said he would like to book a fight at UFC 227 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles but UFC president Dana White seems to have other ideas in mind.

“Woodley probably isn’t going to fight until September,” White said on the “UFC Unfiltered” podcast. “He probably won’t even fight until September, maybe Sept. 8 or something like that. I don’t know yet.”

Sept. 8 is expected to be the date for UFC 228, although the promotion has yet to confirm that timing or a location for an event.

Featherweight competitor Yair Rodriguez recently revealed he accepted a fight on that date against rising Russian star Zabit Magomedsharipov and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov also mentioned that same card as a potential landing spot for his return.

As far as potential opponents, Woodley will probably find out more about that this weekend as an interim welterweight champion will be crowned at UFC 225 when Rafael dos Anjos takes on Colby Covington in the co-main event from Chicago.

The winner of that fight would seem to be the most likely opponent for Woodley in his return but that would also depend on injuries and timing to compete in June and then turn around for another championship bout two months later.

Of course the UFC could always shift to another contender but that would only further muddy the waters at welterweight with an interim champion being crowned this weekend.