“What got me into MMA first was that I was a wrestler, and I was a gangbanger getting into trouble a lot and getting into fights. I grew up in a family of 15 in a four-bedroom house. It was dysfunctional, so that alone made me want to be an MMA fighter. It's really the only sport where you gotta basically depend on yourself.”

American mixed martial artist and professional boxer

Tyron Lakent Woodley is an American mixed martial artist and professional boxer. A longtime competitor in the welterweight division, he turned professional in 2009 and later became UFC Welterweight Champion. Woodley also fought in Strikeforce and wrestled for the Missouri Tigers in NCAA Division I competition. As a collegiate wrestler, he was a two-time All-American and a Big 12 Conference champion, achievements that shaped his combat sports career.