Kamaru Usman Fires Back at Critics Labeling His Dominant Win Over Tyron Woodley a Fluke

Whenever the debate over the greatest welterweight of all time heats up, the battle between Kamaru Usman and Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 always gets attention. On that night, Usman logged more than 18 minutes of control time against Woodley, who carried a seven-fight unbeaten run and four title defenses into the Octagon. 

Yet, despite putting on one of the most flawless championship showcases in promotional history in that co-main event, "The Nigerian Nightmare" still finds himself pushing back against critics who label his career-defining victory a fluke.

Kamaru Usman Defends His Dominant Tyron Woodley Win

The argument over this fight reignited when Woodley dismissed UFC CEO Dana White's claim that Usman is the welterweight "GOAT."  But Woodley went on to claim that Usman's dominant performance was a fluke, stating that Usman simply "kissed a--" to secure the title and avoid a rematch. 

Usman recently responded to these claims on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo. Rather than arguing about the night of the fight itself, Usman pointed to Woodley's career trajectory afterward as absolute proof of his structural dominance. 

Usman said, "I hate that Tyron Woodley has to catch these strays. I hate that because I'm not one that really shoots strays at anybody. Since I dealt with Tyron Woodley, look at the record."

The official stats back up Usman's claim. He out-landed Woodley 141-34 in significant strikes and won by wide margins on the scorecards: 50-44, 50-44, and 50-45. The legacy debate comes at a busy time for Usman, who recently lost a five-round decision to Dricus du Plessis at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18.

Despite the setback, the 39-year-old former champion remains open to future matchups in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Meanwhile, Woodley remained firm in his criticism, though he acknowledged Usman's skills. “He’s a good fighter. He stayed disciplined but that’s what he is. He’s not the greatest welterweight,” Woodley stated.

However, following that 2019 title loss, Woodley never won a professional combat sports bout again. He suffered three consecutive UFC losses to Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington, and Vicente Luque before parting ways with the promotion, followed by back-to-back boxing losses to Jake Paul. 

Critics try to blame Woodley's age and high-level opposition for the decline. But the data shows that Usman decisively broke the former champion's momentum, leaving no historical support for the fluke argument.