Tyron Woodley picked up UFC 183 victory despite first-round foot break

Kelvin Gastelum and Tyron Woodley

Tyron Woodley’s recent UFC 183 performance is looking more and more impressive.

During this past Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner in Las Vegas, Woodley (15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) handed fellow welterweight contender Kelvin Gastelum (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) his first loss.

After the split-decision victory, Woodley, who’s ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, earned some praise. Although Gastelum badly missed weight for the fight, tipping the scale at 180 pounds, he was fined 30 percent of his purse ($9,000), which was supposed to go to Woodley.

Woodley, who had every right to turn down the bout after Gastelum missed weight, fought anyway (watch the Woodley vs. Gastelum video highlights). After the show, he then said he won’t take the fine money because he knows how much a young fighter like Gastelum needs it.

Now, Woodley has confirmed (via Twitter) he broke his foot in the first round:

Despite the break, Woodley won the second round on all the scorecards.

Woodley, 32, didn’t give a timetable for his recovery, but it’s likely to keep him out of the octagon until at least the summer.

When he does return, the former two-time NCAA Division I wrestling All-American is likely to get a major matchup. Currently, only reigning champ Robbie Lawler, ex-titleholder Johny Hendricks and contender Rory MacDonald are ranked ahead of him.

For more on UFC 183, check out the UFC Events section of the site.