In MMA, losses are simply part of the game, and most fighters eventually have to deal with them. But it’s also true that some defeats tend to hurt more than others. For former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, his unanimous decision loss to Kamaru Usman in their title fight at UFC 235 was especially difficult.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, ‘The Chosen One’ revealed that his championship loss to Usman left him struggling severely with his mental health.

“Rock bottom is when I thought everybody was laughing at me,” Woodley said. “I thought the UFC was laughing at me. Usman was laughing at me. During my title reign, I was in a divorce. I had a girlfriend. I had a kid. I had all this stuff. I was spending $40,000 a month, being dumb. When I lost the belt, it was like a state of depression where I felt like everybody finally got what they wanted. ’Cause when I was at the top, they can say whatever they want to.”  

Tyron Woodley, in his prime, unparalleledly dominated the UFC’s welterweight division. After beating Robbie Lawler at UFC 201, the 44-year-old defended the belt four times, cementing his name among the 170-pound legends. But while enjoying a lengthy title reign, Woodley was embroiled in a sour relationship with Dana White that made his relationship with the UFC increasingly complicated.

In 2017, the UFC CEO called the former welterweight champion a “drama queen” over his behavioral issues, while Woodley fired back by calling himself the “worst-treated champion” in UFC history. But despite the rocky relationship with the promotion, the Missouri native continued winning fights and building his confidence, until, of course, Kamaru Usman took the title from him in 2019. 

“But as long as I won, it wasn’t like, ‘One more title,’ ’cause my belt was in my closet, dusty under the shoes,” Woodley added. “I don’t walk around and take showers with my belt. My belt was just f—ing in the closet. When I won, like, another PPV. I’m still the f—g champion, now what? Right? So it was just the state where I was at. 

“So that was kind of my reign. It wasn’t like I’m building a legacy like, kind of Amanda Nunes. All the stuff I won, all those titles, I went three years without losing a round, let alone a fight, right? That was a harvest from the season before, but I had to eat s—t.”    

Perhaps Woodley’s animosity toward Dana White made him feel that the UFC was “laughing” at him when ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ defeated him seven years ago. That said, this isn’t the first time Woodley has opened up about dealing with mental health struggles. Before his fight against Gilbert Burns, the former champ revealed that the loss to Usman had left him “depressed.”  

The Missouri native, who wanted to emulate Georges St-Pierre’s career by retiring as champion, failed to win another UFC fight after losing the title. Woodley went on to lose three fights in a row against Burns, Colby Covington, and Vicente Luque. In the end, he exited the promotion in 2021 after his contract expired.

Certainly, Woodley’s career saw a sad ending, but he revealed that one of his legendary friends helped him through his struggles with mental illness.  

Tyron Woodley reveals former UFC champ helped him overcome mental struggles

When life becomes tough, having an understanding friend who is always there to offer support can ease the burden to some degree. For Tyron Woodley, that ray of hope came in the form of former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. While reflecting on his mental struggles, the ex-170-pound king revealed that ‘Mighty Mouse’ helped him pull himself out of depression.

“D.J. tried for a long time to put me out of it,” Woodley admitted during the same interview with Ariel Helwani.

Well, Demetrious Johnson has shown his support for Tyron Woodley on multiple occasions while they were both active in the UFC. So, it’s hardly surprising that ‘Mighty Mouse’ would stand behind his friend during his time of need. However, it’s worth noting that ‘The Chosen One’ isn’t the only fighter to face depression after a monumental championship loss.

In fact, Alexander Volkanovski has also opened up about his mental health struggles after losing to Islam Makhachev for the second time at UFC 294. During the post-fight presser, the two-time featherweight champion revealed that his depressed state led him to accept the fight on short notice, which ultimately ended in a brutal first-round knockout loss for him in Abu Dhabi.

Those cases show that despite UFC champions carrying an aura of invincibility around them, they can also go through incredibly vulnerable moments, making them all the more human.