TAMPA, Fla. – Sean Woodson has but one setback in his MMA career, and it came long enough ago that he’s seen some UFC careers start and finish in the time since he lost to Julian Erosa.
Since then, over 4.5 years, the 32-year-old featherweight has gone 6-0-1. But the most recent victory, a knockout of Fernando Padilla with just two seconds left in the first round at UFC on ESPN 63, might have been his most crucial one yet.
Woodson (13-1-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) had to survive some early adversity against Padilla (16-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., but rallied quickly for his first finish since 2021.
“He was on me early and he cracked me hard a few times, but I just knew I had to weather the storm and I would find my range and start landing on him,” Woodson said at his post-fight news conference. “… I felt disrespected (before the fight) and I was mad throughout this whole camp and I just was bottling it up, bottling it up – and I just knew come fight night, I was going to use it and use it wisely. That dude was going to have to put my lights out or going to keep coming.”
Woodson hasn’t lost since a D’Arce choke tapout to Julian Erosa in June 2020. Heading into the fight with Padilla, he was working off of three straight decision wins on the heels of a split draw midway through 2020.
Because Padilla is at least close to Woodson in height, he expected a different kind of fight to play out.
“It was different for sure, because I’m 6-foot-2 and everybody I fight at featherweight is going to be shorter than me,” Woodson said. “I think he’s probably the only guy left at featherweight that is also 6-foot. But I spar tall guys all the time. We’ve got a bunch of tall guys on my team. I’ve been boxing all my life. I felt like fighting another tall guy like myself was really going to throw me off or throw me for a loop – nothing. I was more than prepared for it.
“… 100 percent yeah, (I feel disrespected). I’m big on self accountability – my fault. I’m not the biggest talker. That was my first finish in like three years. Winning is good, but when you’re winning decisions, you’re not going to get that respect. You’re not going to get the notoriety. I feel like I haven’t got the respect I deserve, but I feel like they know me now and they’ll respect me now.”
Even though a seven-fight unbeaten streak at featherweight seems to warrant at least a discussion about a title shot, Woodson thinks the names he’s beaten don’t have him in the conversation yet.
Still, he said he’s now willing to start taking steps he hasn’t been keen to jump at prior to this. And he thinks
“I will go anywhere in the world,” Woodson said. “At first I was big on ‘I don’t want to fly overseas.’ (Now) I will go anywhere. I will fight anybody ranked above me. Dana (White is) big ‘on earn what you kill.’ I’ve heard him say that. I feel like I’ve set myself up for a big fight and I’ve earned it and I deserve it.”
But does he deserve the champ, Ilia Topuria? Maybe not yet, Woodson surmises, but perhaps soon. And he likes the matchup – a lot.
“He’s super good – what he’s done so far is,” Woodson said. “But I’m not going to hold my tongue at all. I don’t feel like he’d be able to do me the way he’s done other people at all. He’s too small, too short. I’m a bad matchup for him. I saw online somebody say he gets up to like 187 (pounds), 190 (outside of camp). I don’t believe that at all. I don’t even get that big. He carries himself like he’s better than he is.
“I will say that I would love to fight him. I know I’m a long ways off from that, but I want that fight bad. I would love to fight him one day. I know it sounds crazy. I haven’t had the best (resume). I ain’t fought (big names), whatever. But I’m telling you right now, they do not do me like he’s done everybody.”
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