Tyron Woodley Feels Marquardt Is Trying to Hype Himself for Fight

Tyron Woodley has traveled the road from prospect to contender and if everything goes as planned, on Saturday night he will be crowned champion. The former University of Missouri wrestling standout faces veteran Nate Marquardt for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title.

This will undoubtedly be the biggest fight of Woodley's career. Marquardt, who was once considered one of the best 185-pound fighters on the planet, will make not only his Strikeforce debut, but his first showing in the 170-pound weight class as well.

Woodley intends to spoil the party when the two fighters lock up in Portland. He feels this is the moment he has been waiting for and is eager to accomplish his goal of becoming champion.

"It feels really good to be fighting for the title," Woodley told Bleacher Report. "It's been a long time coming and a lot of preparation has gone into this. Not just with fight camp but all of the experiences and things I've been through. Those things have prepared me for this moment. I have to go in there and get the job done. Once the fight is over is when all the release and excitement kicks in.

"I'm a complete mixed martial artist. I bring the full package of striking, conditioning and wrestling into the cage. I think I've fought guys who are just as tough as Marquardt but he may be better in specific areas than some of my past opponents. I definitely think he's the most well rounded guy I've faced.

"I'm coming out with the belt. I'm really at the point where I'm getting everything rolling. Every aspect of my game from the wrestling to the striking, from power to conditioning is coming together. I can't tell fans how the fight will go but they can expect me to get my hand raised at the end of it."

In the lead up to their bout, Marquardt has fired off his opinion in interviews about Woodley. He feels the undefeated fighter has taken shots at his highly publicized struggles and vowed to make him pay for it. Woodley disagrees with the accusations.

Rather than take it personally, he believes his opponent is using the talk for his own benefit.

"His talk isn't any type of motivation for me," Woodley said. "If anything I think he's using it to motivate himself. I've said it a million times that I respect him and his family. I know he's been through some difficult things and I've veered away from talking about TRT or him saying things that are uncharacteristic for him to say.

"It's him trying to hype himself. Sometimes people have to pump themselves up and I'm not one of those guys. I believe my training, lifestyle and belief in God is more than enough to motivate me. I don't need anything extra to get me hyped up. I don't buy into it. 

"In my opinion I've been overly respectful to him. I don't listen to the things he says. All I know is he has a rude awakening coming for him this Saturday."