Tyron Woodley once publicly criticized Dana White without his boss initially understanding it was directed at him.
In September 2018, Woodley was celebrating a successful welterweight title defense against Darren Till at UFC 228. “The Chosen One” had achieved four consecutive title defenses amidst a strained relationship with White (then president, now CEO). This tension was worsened by White`s public criticism following a previous Woodley championship fight.
After Woodley`s victory over Demian Maia at UFC 214, White criticized the fight`s lack of excitement, blaming Woodley for not finishing the match. This prompted Woodley to include a hidden message for White in his debut rap single, I’ll Beat Yo Ass, which was released shortly after the Till fight.
“That`s why I created the song I`ll Beat Yo Ass,” Woodley explained on the Verse Us podcast. “If you examine the lyrics, they were intended for Dana White. I couldn`t directly say I wanted to beat Dana White`s ass, but I really felt like it because he made me look foolish. Why would you publicly act like that? Everyone, including Michael Bisping and Kenny Florian, was laughing. I was thinking, `Ha ha ha, I’ll beat both your asses`—well, not Florian, he’s my friend—but yes, you made me look stupid, and then when I was on air, I couldn`t defend myself. Someone mentioned they turned off my microphone. In my earpiece, I was told, ‘You can’t respond. You can’t say anything about this.’”
Woodley was the UFC welterweight champion from 2016 to 2019. Throughout his reign, he often expressed his dissatisfaction with the promotion`s handling of him and his desire to fight high-profile, veteran fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz, regardless of their retirement status.
From Woodley`s perspective, he was leveraging his position effectively, but the UFC didn`t appreciate his negotiation strategies.
“I believe they felt like, ‘This guy thinks he’s too clever,’” Woodley stated. “That`s always been my impression. But I refuse to diminish myself for anyone. I am aware of everyone’s financial figures. When you are a fighter and you know these numbers, it changes how you negotiate. If I know someone is negotiating a new deal for each fight, whether they are on a 10-fight contract or not, if I am the champion, then it’s my turn to do the same. I shared a management team with an athlete who was doing exactly that.”
“So, when I fought Robbie Lawler, it`s important to remember Robbie was with American Top Team and managed by Dan Lambert. Therefore, I have insight into much of the negotiation to fight me. I know you received an extra $250,000 to fight me.”
Woodley defeated Lawler at UFC 201 with a first-round knockout to win the welterweight title. He went on to defend his title against Till, Maia, and Stephen Thompson (twice, as their first fight ended in a majority draw).
According to Woodley, none of this aligned with the UFC`s plans. He claims that officials intended to book Lawler against St-Pierre or Conor McGregor if Lawler had defeated Woodley at UFC 201. Woodley disrupted those plans and was later disappointed that he didn`t receive the same opportunities that were considered for Lawler.
“The conflict began before that, but the major dispute over power arose because I knew what he was offered,” Woodley said. “If this were the NCAA tournament, and he’s the top seed and I defeat him, then I become the top seed. So, I expect everything that was intended for him. I want all the things you discussed, every perk, every extra benefit, and I was persistent about it.”
