Athletes
Sean Woodson Feels Primed For A Breakout Year
After A Quiet But Successful Run In The Organization, Sean Woodson Hopes To Put Wins Together And Climb The Ranks Starting At UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis
It’s cold in Toronto, but St. Louis’ Sean Woodson can’t wait to get there to fight Charles Jourdain this Saturday.
“This is the biggest fight, the biggest name, and the biggest platform, the opportunity to be on a pay-per-view championship card,” he said.
He’s right on all counts. Sure, he’s fought names like Terrance McKinney and Julian Erosa, he’s been on a numbered event and competed in packed arenas, but as he makes his first international appearance, the stakes have never been higher as he battles the Canadian action hero, who comes into Scotiabank Arena on a two-fight winning streak.
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“This is the biggest name I've gotten for sure,” said Woodson. “The matchmakers know what they're doing with this one, matching me and this dude up. This fight has no other outcome than producing fireworks and being a shootout. Me and this dude don't want no parts of the grappling. We're strikers through and through. This dude is violent and aggressive, and he comes forward, and even though I have the reach advantage, I don't think he'll allow me to stay on the outside. He's going to get in the pocket or he's going to push forward, and I'll be more than ready for that. And I feel like after the fight that we have, I want to fight three times a year, but the performance I'm going to put on in this fight, I feel like I could go two years and people will remember me.”
I tell him not to go two years before his next fight, and he laughs, knowing that injury-induced layoffs have been his biggest adversary since he joined the UFC roster after halting McKinney on season three of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. After his memorable victory nearly five years ago, Woodson has impressed in posting a 4-1-1 record, but one fight in 2022 and one in 2023 isn’t the type of schedule he wants as he’s been constantly forced to reintroduce himself.
“Fans are real fickle in the fight game,” he said. “They’ve got that short-term memory and it doesn't help me that I'm usually fighting, every eight to 10 months or once a year. But along with the big name, I was super happy with getting this fight on a five-month turnaround.”
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In that last fight in August, Woodson outpointed Dennis Buzukja, who made it clear that preparing for a 6-foot-2 ½ featherweight on short notice isn’t ideal. “The Sniper” is aware of the stylistic nightmare he presents for his opponents at 145 pounds, and he enjoys that advantage, even if it has cost him some paydays as he’s looked for fights.
“I'm not one of those guys that like to brag and be like, ‘Oh, everybody's scared to fight me’ and this and that,” he said. “I don't think that guys are necessarily scared to fight me, but it's exactly what you said. I just feel like they know I'm a bad matchup. I'm hard to prepare for, and they just know I'm not going to be a cakewalk or an easy fight. They know they're going to have to deal with some serious problems when they fight me.”
Highlight: Sean Woodson Notches First UFC Finish | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Rodriguez
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Highlight: Sean Woodson Notches First UFC Finish | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Rodriguez
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Buzukja was the fourth opponent Woodson had before actually getting to fight night, but Jourdain has been locked in from the start, and you can guarantee that when his name is called, he will be there. And while Woodson is expecting a standup war, I remind him that two of the Quebec native’s last three wins over Lando Vannata and Ricardo Ramos were by submission.
Woodson laughs.
“I want to say he's gotten two submissions that came out of nowhere, but they came more from guys pushing the grappling on him,” he said. “He's more of a defensive grappler. Guys were trying to force the takedown and force the grappling with him and he ended up snatching their necks, but he won't have to worry about that with me.”
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So we can expect a Fight of the Night, then?
“I'm looking for Performance of the Night,” Woodson said. “Fight of the Night would entail me having to take a lot of damage and it being a back-and-forth thing, which I'm ready for, but I'm looking to go in here and get a clean kill.”
Spoken like a true “Sniper,” who can hit his mark if he uses his physical advantages to keep Jourdain at the end of his punches all night. But like so many fighters with a significant edge in height and reach, that’s easier said than done once the fists start flying.
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“That's the thing,” he admits. “I love to fight. And sometimes you’ve got to fight smart. Fighting is already hard enough as is. There's a lot of risk that comes with it. So I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't use the attributes that I have. But yeah, that's something I feel like I've gotten better with. I'll start off fighting by using my jab, using my reach and doing the right things. But then once the fight gets going, due to the fans and due to my own character, I guess I get enticed to bite down on the mouthpiece and engage in these brawls. But yeah, I've learned to check myself on that and go with the path of least resistance and try to take the least amount of damage as possible. And at the end of the day, I’ve got to remind myself that the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. And that's what I feel I do best and what I feel will take me far.”
But how much gray hair has he given his coaches?
“I think I've stressed them out a lot,” Woodson laughs. “They always remind me to stay long, get behind that jab, and fighting behind the jab is what they preach the most. But if we're talking gray hair, I think the person I give the most gray hair is my mom.”
At least he’s winning. That should keep mom’s grays at bay. As for his own future, Woodson doesn’t think about anything past Saturday night.
“I see a lot of people say, ‘He’s going to get a number next to his name and this will put him in the rankings.’ That'll be nice, but I'm not even concerned with that. I want this dude's head and I want his name on my resume. He's a big name. It'll be a big win for me. And I just know without a doubt that picking up a win here will put me in a good spot. That's all I know. I know I'll be in a good position, and I'll just leave it that. Whatever comes after this fight, I'll be ready for it, and I'll be excited.”
UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis took place live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on January 20, 2024. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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