Poll: why has Woodley declined so fast/hard?

Partly due to the book being out on him combined with consecutive matches vs bad matchups. He goes into a shell under constant pressure where his opponent can mix things up rather than be predictable, This was seen vs Rory and Shields early on in the UFC. Matchups were more favorable for awhile. Stylistically, his recent opponents have been terrible matchups for him. He just doesn’t get off under pressure, I think Woodley should face a more stand up centric fighter next and you’ll probably see a lot his confidence come back if he’s the better wrestler or he can be the one walking forward instead of being on the defensive because guys like Thomson, Till, Lawler are less likely to try to pressure him giving Woodley space and confidence to get strikes off and set up takedowns. You’ll probably see it’s a case of styles make fights rather than this massive decline...but this expose pretty much ends Woodley as a contender but he should be tried in different style fights before he’s assumed to not have anything left. There’s probably a few top 10 guys that can’t beat Woodley.
 
age + he has a style that is inherently flawed that he became really good at but was backed by his athleticism and power.
 
I was never really sold on Tyron to be honest. Especially when that talk about him being the all time best welterweight started to erupt, I mean, even at the top of his game, that guy never looked unbeatable like Hughes or GSP. Some MMA fans are just so insanely quick at pulling the trigger and spewing this type of nonsense, I wish Tyron would have done the same with his fists when it mattered. But he did not.

Tyron's physical gifts have always been undeniable, but the issue is clearly between the ears. So talking about "decline" is probably not that appropriate: something, at some point, exacerbated an existing issue and from there his opponents just knew they could walk this guy down and pressure him all night, and he'd literally be like a fish out of water. Even in a few of his fights in Strikeforce, you could see that.

Time to hang them up for him. He seems like a nice guy and I appreciate that he stands up for something, and has something to say. But I am never ever getting excited about one of his fights if another fight there is.

Still a super good career, but to any delusional idiot who once said his legacy is anywhere close to that of a GSP or Hughes, or that the guy would be the longest reigning ww champ ever, what do you hsve to say now?
 
He has not declined he's just been figured out he was never that skilled a fighter he's kinda like a rashad evans
 
A lot of people have mentioned athleticism fading, which is definitely correct given that his game is based around the marriage of explosive force with accuracy in countering. Time will definitely affect that. In terms of "specific skills" that he is lacking, I would say his biggest weakness is that he doesn't have good range control- he doesn't really have a jab or a good low leg kick, both of which would help him contest space in front of him
 
mindset. he really believed he was gods gift and a generational fighter. He started to decline when he started acting like a diva. I would say his skills are still there but whatever he had mentally is long gone...
 
Yeah I think it’s a combination of styles match up, getting figured out, and maybe losing the mental edge.
 
He fought the three best welterweights in the world consecutively.
 
I almost wonder whether or not he considered retiring after the Till fight
 
It's probably a combination of age, plus juggling MMA with a bunch of other different projects.
 
Portland8242 said:
Because his style relies on quick reflexes and explosiveness

Age diminishes these the most. Woodley is 38.

Not to mention - above all, ,the book has been out on Woodley for awhile. Rory wrote it and nobody cared to follow it until Usman.
Click to expand...
People tried it they just got knocked out in the process
 
DivineMind said:
I don't have the skills to make this a real poll, but please give your input.

Is it age? Was it his rap career? Did he stop caring ? Perhaps he just needs a sports psychologist? Maybe his favorite supplement was discontinued / manufacturer went bankrupt ? Just some brutal matchups (3 elite, large grapplers in a row)? The new generation finally caught up to him? Some other reason?

Please only list your top answer, if a mod doesn't add a poll I will manually tabulate the responses and update the OP.

Above all, be honest in your answer and don't self censor.

Thanks
Click to expand...

100% age.
 
Life got too good for him and he went soft. That's not an indictment on him at all. It's just a thing that happens. Life's struggles are the only teachers of grit. And once you lose that grit, it's really hard to get it back. His body looks great for a 38-year-old. I think the problem is psychological.
 
Combination of things , but I don’t think he wants it that bad anymore, he made his money & won a championship, I think he’s satisfied and is just showing up for a decent paycheque
 
People realized he was just leaning against the cage.
 
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