Ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley jibes at PED users in epic "ice bath" interview

Tyron Woodley has seemingly taken a shot at the athletes who utilize banned PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs).

"The Chosen One" did so while stressing the importance of self-care in the latter phase of one's athletic career, all while speaking during a tough ice bath session. 

Tyron Woodley's epic ice bath session interview sees him jibe at PED-using athletes

During a conversation with Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier today, Tyron Woodley opened up about his return to the sport of freestyle wrestling, which came in the form of his recent Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling debut. He also addressed several other topics. 

Alluding to his interview with Helwani, which transpired via a video call, Woodley suggested that their conversation would help distract him from the discomfort of the ice bath. The former UFC fighter stated, "I figure we're gonna take 15-20 minutes, so to take my mind off of it -- so I just got in before we got up."

Implying that he'd stay in the freezing setting for around 15-20 minutes, he said, "You're gonna watch me stay in here for 15-20."

Moreover, the 44-year-old condemned the athletes who use prohibited steroids and PEDs to gain an unfair advantage in sports. Indicating that clean athletes like him have to undergo multiple recovery therapies, especially in the later stages of their respective careers, he explained: 

"Every day... This is what the athletes that don't take PEDs do when they get 40 years old. They gotta have chiropractic, a massage therapist, motion coach, Pilates, hot yoga. A lot of recovery because we build a lot of the skills and the mental toughness coming up as 25-year-olds. When your body gets older, it starts to react a little bit more. So, sh**, half of my training is recovery." 

When asked about his longest ice bath session, "T-Wood" said, "The longest I've gone is 30 minutes, which you shouldn't do." 

Watch Tyron Woodley's jab at PED users during his epic ice bath interview below: 

Tyron Woodley has spent this entire interview in an ice bath and explains how much more recovery matters at 44:

"This is what the athletes that don't take PEDs do when they get past 40 years old. They gotta have a chiropractor, a massage therapist, motion coach, pilates, hot… pic.twitter.com/xgQDIKUscq

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 24, 2026

Tyron Woodley made a triumphant RAF debut against Joaquin Buckley; the ex-UFC welterweight champ wrestles Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Moscow next

Tyron Woodley is hailed by many as a bona fide MMA welterweight great, having notched four successful title defenses during his reign as the UFC welterweight champion. The American combatant -- an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler -- lost his UFC welterweight title via unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman in 2019.

That was followed by a unanimous decision loss against Gilbert Burns, a TKO defeat against Colby Covington, and lastly a submission defeat against Vicente Luque. The stoppage loss at the hands of Luque was in March of 2021, and Woodley hasn't fought in MMA since. 

Nevertheless, he tried his hand at professional boxing, going 0-3 in that sport thus far, with a pair of losses against Jake Paul in 2021 and one against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva last year. 

Woodley once again donned his wrestling singlet and made his RAF promotional debut against current UFC welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley in a cruiserweight match at RAF 12 on August 22. He rallied to score a decision win, with a 14-8 margin, marking his first professional combat sports victory since he submitted Darren Till in their UFC welterweight championship match back in 2018. 

Currently, Woodley is booked to wrestle against multi-time Swedish national champion wrestling savant and former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev. The Chimaev-Woodley catchweight matchup will headline RAF Moscow on September 5.