“If I go out here and smoke this dude in 10 seconds, you wouldn’t be hearing that from me,” he laughs. “I’d definitely be ecstatic, especially after coming off a split decision in the last fight.”
It’s a tough way to go through life, for sure, but Woodson believes that he’s made it to 8-1 and the UFC because of his belief that there’s always room for improvement. But he wasn’t always the perfectionist that he is now.
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“I definitely didn’t always have this,” said the 29-year-old. “As far as being a perfectionist and really being professional and getting dialed in and focused and as disciplined as I am now, that came when I turned pro. The reason why I got so hardcore disciplined like that was the overwhelming feeling I had that I had already wasted so much time. From 20 to 25, I wasted a lot of time. I’d be 22-23 years old watching guys in the UFC that were 21, 22 and they’re already there in the UFC. And here I was and I hadn’t even made my pro debut yet. And I started boxing when I was eight years old. Everybody was telling me I was supposed to be pro at 18 and I just wasted a lot of time. But the whole time, I still had it in my head that I was gonna do all these big things.”
Thinking about it and doing something about it are two different things, though, and once he realized that, “The Sniper” was off to the races.
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“Finally, when the switch flipped for me and I put action behind all my thoughts, I said the only thing I can do is focus on what I can control and make the best of the time I have left,” he said. “I wasn’t gonna waste any more time and I was going to sincerely give this all I got, and it was full steam ahead from there.”
Turning pro in 2016 at the age of 24, Woodson made it to 5-0 before getting the call to compete on season three of Dana White’s Contender Series. A second round knockout of current UFC hot prospect Terrance McKinney earned Woodson a UFC contract, and while he lost to Julian Erosa in June 2020 after debuting with a win over Kyle Bochniak, the victory over Zalal put his stars in alignment once more, even if he may not necessarily agree. But that’s okay, because as hard as he pushes for perfection, Woodson is enjoying the ride.
