“I Have a Lot of Work to Do”: Why Anderson Silva Changed Everything to Face Tyron Woodley
Anderson Silva enters one of his most intriguing challenges yet as the UFC legend prepares for a six-round cruiserweight boxing bout against Tyron Woodley on December 19, 2025, at Kaseya Center in Miami. Originally scheduled to face Chris Weidman in a boxing trilogy, Silva received a last-minute opponent swap after Weidman suffered a bicep tendon injury during training. Weidman tore the tendon while throwing a left hook and couldn’t recover in time, forcing Woodley to step in as his replacement.
Anderson Silva
Silva’s UFC career spanned from his debut in 2006 through October 2020, during which he compiled a legendary record while establishing himself as one of combat sports’ most dominant athletes. The Brazilian middleweight champion notched an unprecedented 11 consecutive title defenses, still the most in UFC history, and held his belt for 2,457 days, the longest title reign in the organization. He earned 12 post-fight bonuses during his UFC tenure and knocked out or finished 23 of his 34 victories. His reign ended in July 2013 when Chris Weidman knocked him out at UFC 162, the first time anyone finished Silva inside the Octagon.
Since retiring from MMA in 2020, Silva has pursued boxing professionally. His record currently stands at 3 wins and 2 losses in professional boxing. He defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via split decision in 2021 and knocked out Tito Ortiz in the first round during an exhibition match. Silva faced Jake Paul in October 2022, losing via unanimous decision in an eight-round cruiserweight bout. Most recently, he fought Chael Sonnen, his legendary UFC rival, to a draw in a five-round exhibition in Brazil during June 2024.
Tyron Woodley
Woodley‘s UFC journey saw him capture the welterweight championship after defeating Robbie Lawler with a first-round knockout at UFC 201 in 2016. The Missouri native defended his title against Darren Till and Demian Maia, earning performance bonuses for both victories. However, he struggled during his final UFC years, dropping four consecutive fights before his March 2021 submission loss to Vicente Luque. His professional boxing record sits at 0-2, having lost a split decision to Jake Paul in August 2021 and being knocked out in their December 2021 rematch.
Anderson Silva Readies for Boxing Match Against Tyron Woodley
Silva expressed enthusiasm about facing Woodley despite his injury replacement status. In reflecting on his preparation, speaking with Mike Heck of MMA Fighting, he stated:
“When people talk to me about that and I say, ‘Wow, I need to change a couple things in my competition training.’ I start watching the Woodley fights and I say, ‘Wow, I have a lot of work to do to change the whole strategy.’ But I have a good coach, Coach Erico, and my whole team working hard to help me change everything. I’m so excited. I think that’s a good challenge for my mind and for my body.”
Regarding the transition from his original opponent, Silva acknowledged his disappointment for Weidman while embracing the new matchup:
“First of all, I’m a little sad for Chris, you know, because Chris was training hard for this fight and he had an injury in the arm. But hopefully Chris is good now and we’ll see in the future maybe he has the opportunity to fight with me at the next event. About my new opponent, I’m so excited, you know, because I like to challenge myself and I’m so happy. God is so amazing and gives us the opportunity to do something that we love, you know? I’m so happy, I’m so lucky to be here to talk to you and come to fight again.”
At 50 years old, Silva holds a significant height advantage over the 43-year-old Woodley, measuring 5 inches taller with a 4-inch reach advantage. Silva’s boxing record demonstrates knockout power at 67%. The match with Woodley and Silva is hosted on the Netflix card as part of the Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua event.
