FS 65 – Woodley vs. Burns (transcript) (Patreon)

In the midst of nationwide civil unrest, the UFC carried on as the only live sports on American television. It didn’t matter if there were protests on the streets and police responding with brute force, the UFC was going to fulfill it’s contractual obligations, regardless of what was going on outside of it’s own private arena. Just in case you weren’t aware, the UFC was able to host this event in Las Vegas partly due to the fact that they have their own facility that can host events. Even though it makes sense to host stacked pay per view cards at large venues like the T-Mobile arena or the MGM Grand Garden arena, for other small scale productions the UFC APEX facility works just fine. Say what you want about the UFC, and at Southpaw, we’ve said A TON, other sports can only dream of this kind of vertical integration. Listen, I get it. There’s massive racial injustice and we can’t ignore the reality outside our combat sports bubble, all things considered this fight seems like a distraction at best and tone deaf at its worst. There are much bigger issues going on in the world right now, and in case everyone forgot, there’s STILL a pandemic in place with no vaccine available. I have no doubt that in the very near future, Southpaw will return to the topic of systemic racism, social injustice, and civil unrest and give it the deep dive it deserves. But for now, let’s talk about what you came here for, how the matchup of Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns unfolded. 

Even though fans weren’t sure of it during Woodley’s last outing, their fears were confirmed: Woodley has definitely lost a step or two. Maybe not physically, but for sure mentally. Burns defeated Woodley by unanimous decision, with two of the judges giving Burns a score of 50-44. If you were having Deja vu watching the fight, you’re not alone. A Duke Roufus trained fighter who got pressured against the fence by a surging BJJ blackbelt who has greatly improved their striking? Where have I seen that before? Oh right, Anthony Pettis against Rafael Dos Anjos. If you’ve been watching MMA long enough, you’ll notice these trends and patterns and realize that a lot of times, they aren’t unique. Strategies that are tried and true make multiple appearances and it doesn’t take long before people go back and research what was used effectively to stop it. Mark Twain said it best, history doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.

This fight can be summed up as Burns’ best performance and as Woodley’s worst performance. Outside of a few bursts of strikes and lead jabs to the body from Woodley, this fight was all Burns. By utilizing forward pressure and feints, Burns was able to make Woodley throw strikes first so he can counter. It was quite a sight to see, especially if your only impression of Burns was that he’s a grappler that could survive on the feet. Here he was, moving his hands like Darren Till while feinting with his hips like Israel Adesanya to get Woodley to do something. Sometimes Woodley threw punches that whiffed, only to met with a counter left hook or a right straight. Unfortunately a lot of the time, Woodley just hesitated and remained still. It was in moments like these that Burns was able to pick Woodley apart with kicks and straight punches, and Woodley had no good answer. On the occasion that Woodley moved forward to launch his own offense, Burns level changed to take Woodley down. This might seem surprising to casual fans, but it’s common to see non-wrestlers land this kind of takedown. When fighters get preoccupied with throwing their rear hand while moving forward, they leave their hips wide open for takedowns. Wrestlers aren’t immune from this, look no further than Alexander Gustafsson landing takedowns on both Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in both his fights with them. Despite both Jones and Cormier having better wrestling backgrounds than Gustafsson, when they moved forward or circled to engage, Gustafsson timed it perfectly and took them down. If a striker could pull off such a feat, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a world champion in Brazilian jiu jitsu can do the same.

This doesn’t mean that Woodley did zero damage. In another apt comparison to Rafael Dos Anjos, Burns defended himself perfectly by using his entire body as a defensive frame. He didn’t just rely on head movement and evasion, he absorbed punches on his forearms, shoulders, and forehead to stay close and counter as soon as Woodley stopped punching. Unlike Stephen Thompson or Demian Maia, Burns wasn’t afraid of getting hit by Woodley and knew that if he wanted to win, he had to stay close in order to land his own strikes.      

Burns’ left hook and kicks have been discussed before in the Southpaw preview for this fight, and it was no surprise when Burns landed them on Woodley. Burns does his best work when he gets his opponents to swing first so he can counter, but what was a shock to some was that he was able to do this against a former champion like Woodley. As the fight wore on, it was clear that Woodley was running out of options and Burns was picking up momentum. Just like Anthony Pettis, Woodley realized that outside of a flash knockout or brute strength submission, he was going to get finished or lose a lopsided decision. After getting rocked again in the fourth round and throwing less and less strikes, Woodley ended up with another loss on his record.

People might be quick to point out that Woodley didn’t fight like he used to, and he might finally be showing his age. That’s very possible, being 38 does come with physical baggage. However, it doesn’t explain being outworked like that.

Keep in mind that the last time he fought, Woodley also got dominated from start to finish. This means that he’s effectively lost 10 rounds straight. It would be one thing if he got guillotined or got caught with a clean knockout, those are easier to explain away. A technical mistake, a slip up at the wrong time, or just plain bad luck. But if you get outworked for 50 minutes, what excuse do you really have? I hate to sound like a broken record on the Pettis example, but if you’ve been around the game long enough and haven’t evolved your game, you will get figured out. Once that happens in the fight, it leads to hesitation – a death knell for fighters that rely on speed and reaction.

Combat sports athletes and fans alike seem to believe that power is the last thing to go for fighter. There’s some truth to it, but it comes with a silent acknowledgement of the first thing to go: speed. Woodley made his career out of being incredibly fast, able to cover distance in the blink of an eye and land punches before you could react. With a lifetime of wrestling and all the wear and tear of fighting, it’s possible that his 38-year-old body just can’t perform the way it used to.

It would be one thing if Woodley’s entire game was based around technique and outworking his opponents. Kamaru Usman is younger than Woodley, but his wrestling and fighting style is built by taking his time and building up a substantial lead as the fight wears on. It might not produce the stunning highlights like Woodley has been able to, but there’s no doubt that it’s a winning formula. Randy Couture was still fighting top ten guys close to his 50’s by crowding them against the cage, clinching them up to dirty box, and taking them down to land strikes on the ground. Not the most exciting style, but again, it’s a strategy that stands the test of time.

Woodley is undoubtedly in a tough spot. Even with two losses back to back, there are still some fun matches for him at welterweight. The Robbie Lawler rematch never happened, and both are coming off losses. Unlike Burns, there isn’t a submission threat to worry about from Lawler, so there’s a good chance we might see Woodley far more aggressive and willing to throw down. Michael Chiesa currently doesn’t have a dance partner, and if he wants to move up the ranks and fight another former champion, this could be a great opportunity for Chiesa. Speaking of which, how about the guy that Chiesa just beat, Rafael dos Anjos? He’s essentially a smaller version of Burns, perhaps a fight between Woodley and RDA can see if it’s a stylistic problem that can be fixed by working on his weaknesses or it really is age and wear and tear. If Woodley wants to take some time off to work on updating his game, that could be a great idea as well.

For Gilbert Burns, this fight definitely proved that he belongs in the upper echelon of the division. Anyone in the top five can prove to be a fun fight, and each matchup presents different challenges and opportunities for him. Can you imagine Burns against Leon Edwards? Or Burns against Colby Covington? I know Burns called for a title shot, but who knows what the UFC has in store for the champion? They might still try to make the fight between Usman and Masvidal happen, so those two could be out of the picture for now. Either way, the 170-pound weight class remains exciting.

Which reminds me, perhaps one of the reasons the fights have been exciting and fun to watch is the lack of crowds. I am aware of how the audience can add to the flow of a fight and enhance the live experience, but for those watching at home, it’s been pretty great not having a crowd. Maybe it’s because fighters can better hear their corner giving instructions, but so can their opponents making it more competitive. It’s also possible that without a crowd booing or cheering certain moves and techniques, fighters can focus on what they do best instead of what would get the biggest reaction. Short of running some kind of scientific experiment, we might never know the real reason. This kind of environment won’t last forever, so let’s enjoy it while we can. At least now we know that even if the UFC won’t make any money from a live gate, it won’t stop them from broadcasting fights. In this uncertain and unpredictable environment, there’s still some strange comfort in knowing that at least MMA will be around.