Tyron Woodley Said He Had To Bite His Words After Training With Sage Northcutt

– During a recent UFC 205 media conference call (transcript via MMA Junkie), UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (16-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) said he changed his mind on Sage Northcutt after training with him before UFC 205. Woodley will fight Stephen Thompson (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at the event, which happens on November 12 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Here are highlights:

On his previous thoughts about Northcutt: “We all have had our comments about Sage as a fighter. I think some of the fighters saw his entrance into the UFC and some of the endorsements and some of the things that came with him being so young. We all had something to say, me included. Even training with him I had to bite a couple of my words because he’s way more well-rounded than what I expected.”

On what he thinks of Northcutt now: “He’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s fast – he’s a great resource to train with. I had to bite my own words. I would say as long as he stays focused and stays true to who he is – because it sounds like everybody wants him to be somebody else – as long as he can do that, I think he has a long way in this sport. People want to compare him to people that are my age. He calls me ‘Mr. Woodley,’ and it feels so weird. I’m like, ‘Man, this kid is (20) years old.’”

On how the two compare: “If you go back and you watch Sage, we do have a similar style. He does come from a karate background, he does some of the flashy stuff that I like to do as well. I’m just prepared knowing that Tyron probably has seen some of the stuff that I throw, that I’m going to be throwing. I know Sage, he’s a karate guy and he’s going to go out there and try to do the best Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson he can. That’s OK. I’m ready for it no matter what.”