Tyron Woodley has again slammed KSI, and insisted he won't be chasing the YouTube star after the pair's planned boxing fight fell through late last year.
Legendary former UFC welterweight champion Woodley was due to face KSI in January before talks broke down late in 2022 and Dillon Danis was drafted in as the main event for the Brit's latest boxing match. Danis ultimately pulled out, and KSI was forced to fight fellow YouTuber Faze Temperrr in the main event last month.
And Woodley has declared that the YouTube star, whose real name is JJ Olatunji, is not a "man of his word" after the pair's talks broke down despite him agreeing to a number of intensive contract terms. The ex-UFC star was tweeted a picture of a prospective fight poster for the pair to meet in May, and responded to fans by declaring that KSI should "be a man".
"If KSI would ever be a man," he said after a fan noted that there was a lot of interest in a prospective fight between the pair. "And a man of his word. He in his lane. I said my piece and agreed to the terms. What God has for me is for me! He asked me to fight. not chasing a grown man down. Thats borderline bullying."
KSI hit back, slamming Woodley as "tired" after losing his last six bouts between boxing and MMA. He tweeted: "Hmmm, should I: (A) - Fight a tired Tyron Woodley that hasn’t won a single boxing fight and got knocked out by Jake Paul by standing still? (B) - Fight A pro boxer with a better boxing record than Tommy Fury [Joe Fournier]?"
KSI's broadcast partner DAZN had plans for a massive super-card on January 14, which allegedly would have seen KSI face Woodley in the main event, with Logan Paul taking on Danis in the co-main. However, the American was injured during a WWE event and forced out of action for over a month.
Danis was then drafted in for the main event as Misfits Boxing, KSI's promotion, and DAZN opted for a more entertainment-centric promotion with the controversial Bellator fighter. He skipped the pre-fight press conference in London, and then pulled out with just days to go until the event.
Image:
PA)"The way he did the negotiations for the contract was very disrespectful," Woodley said of KSI during an appearance on The MMA Hour. "It made me just want to hurt him. So I was on the phone with his manager Mams [Taylor] and I said, 'never in my life have I been disrespected like this in a contract'.
"He wanted me to fight at cruiserweight, which starts at 175 and goes to 190 [the cruiserweight limit is 200lb]. He wanted me to fight for a cruiserweight belt, so if I weighed 174lb I'd have been light-heavyweight and ineligible to fight at cruiserweight, and if I weighed 176lb they said there was no 20 per cent [cut for missing weight], I'm off the fight.
"So they wanted me to weigh exactly at 175lb, then they wanted me to come in as I walked into the arena at 185lb. I walk around 200lb, 205lb as of today, so every advantage they wanted. This was terms added after we had already agreed, so we agreed, I got a contract and then it was like, 'I'm sorry to do this but KSI's trainer wants to add this hydration thing'."