Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley admits he blew through tons of money while he was living the UFC champion lifestyle during this title reign.
Woodley was the UFC welterweight champ between July 2016 and March 2019. In an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Woodley admitted that he was living a lavish lifestyle while he was the champion, including buying seven cars and two houses.
“I blew through a lot of f*cking money, man. A lot. A lot of money. Jewelry and VIP and all these experiences, all these things that came with the championship life. You really, when you come from where I come from, you never imagine making that type of money. You never imagine being in that type of position. You work hard for it, and I didn’t get there by accident, but nobody taught me finance,” Woodley said.
“Everybody taught me 1+1 is 2. That’s math. That ain’t finance. That ain’t wealth, that ain’t investing, that ain’t saving, that ain’t tax. That’s basically, you made money and, f*cking, you spend it. Because when I was growing up, we spent it when it came in. My mom’s check was already cut up, it was done before she even got it. She had to pick which utility bills was not gonna be on that, that month. And it was something that I didn’t recognize, as a kid, that it wasn’t normal. I thought everybody had to do that,” Woodley continued.
“So, when you started making money? I bought, like, seven cars and, f*cking, two houses and all these trips. And nobody ever lifted a f*cking hand when we was at a restaurant, 10-15 people went to dinner. And I was going to VIP clubs and all this sh*t, like, every other week. And I just imagined making that amount of money for a very long time. And they very quickly said, ‘Poof!’ Damn! I’m on it like, ‘You gonna tell me, March 3rd, that this is different? It’s not the same?’ And it’s just a lesson learned,” Woodley concluded.
Woodley is not the only professional athlete to blow through their earnings, of course, as this is a tale as old as time. But to hear “The Chosen One” admit what he went through should be a stark reminder to other MMA fighters who come into their money to save it for a rainy day, because nothing is guaranteed in this sport.
Woodley next fights Leon Edwards at UFC London on March 21. A win over Edwards and Woodley could get one step closer to earning a rematch against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Source: BJpenn.com
