After what feels like an eternity of challenges and opponent changes, Sean Woodson is finally set to step back into the Octagon. It’s been quite a journey for the featherweight prospect since his last fight, a draw with Luis Saldana in August 2022.
Originally scheduled to face Steve Garcia in his return, fate had other plans. Garcia was out, and so were Jesse Butler and Mairon Santos, both stepping in as replacements. But as luck would have it, Dennis Buzukja, a UFC newcomer, stepped up on short notice, and now Woodson has a fight this weekend in Nashville.
“I’ve been trying to get a fight booked since February,” Woodson revealed when Jesse Butler was still his opponent on July 25. “But I’ve just been having trouble getting booked.”
When asked if he’s willing to take on a 6-foot-2 ½ featherweight like The Sniper, Woodson responded with a laugh, “Hey, that’s a good question. I’m down to fight anybody, though. I thought everybody in the UFC was built like that.”
For the 31-year-old fighter from St. Louis, there was no hesitation in accepting every name thrown at him over the chaotic past few weeks. He’s just eager to step back into the Octagon and exchange punches with anyone willing.
“I miss being in that Octagon, doing what I cherish, going out there and having fun,” Woodson confessed. “I’ve had a chip on my bear this entirety year since that Saldana battle since I fair know that wasn’t me. He shaken me early, and I was on autopilot for the rest of that battle. So I can’t hold up to go in there with a clear intellect and fair go in there and have fun once more and reintroduce myself. That’s truly what I’ve missed this entirety time is fair being in there and being my genuine self. And I’m aiming to reintroduce myself this time.”
The last fight against Saldana ended in a split draw, but it came with a controversial illegal knee that changed the course of the bout. Woodson’s only other UFC loss was against Julian Erosa in 2020, which he attributes to being caught off guard by a last-minute opponent change.
“When individuals inquire me what my record is, I tell them 11-0,” Woodson chuckled. “Definitely, I know what Tapology says, but we’ve talked around that Julian battle some time recently. At to begin with, I was planned to battle Kyle Nelson, at that point it was Daniel Pineda. At that point two days some time recently, it was Julian. And I’m huge on arrangement, so that was a bunch of stuff tossing me off my diversion arrange. But, at the conclusion of the day, they’re all pardons. I still ought to have pulled it off and I damn close did, but that was a learning lesson. And still, indeed in spite of the fact that I got caught in that battle, I do not feel for one moment that he was the superior warrior or that I genuinely got beat. I still have however to step within the Octagon and take off out of there addressing my ability or addressing my certainty or feeling like that I was bested by the way better man.”
Reflecting on the Saldana battle, Woodson concedes he was managing with individual challenges that influenced his execution. He was fighting more for the money than for the adore of the wear, which is something he had never done some time recently.
But presently, with valuable lessons learned and a recharged center, Woodson is prepared to create a solid comeback. He’s decided to induce back within the win column and, after the battle, plans to celebrate with a few Jack’s BBQ in Nashville.
Sounds like Sean Woodson has a solid plan in place, and fans can’t wait to see him back in action, doing what he loves most.