5’7”
Tyron Woodley (born April 17, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at Strikeforce and was an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler for the Missouri Tigers, becoming a two-time All-American and Big 12 Conference champion. He played Sensei Odell in the fifth season of the Netflix original series Cobra Kai.
Early Life[]
Woodley was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri. The eleventh of thirteen children, he was raised by his mother after his father abandoned the family early in his life. In high school, he was a two-sport athlete, competing in American football and amateur wrestling. Woodley won the Missouri 4A Men’s State Championship in 2000 in the 160-lb weight class.
After graduating from McCluer High School in 2000, Woodley attended University of Missouri and joined their wrestling program. There, he became a two-time All-American; once in 2003 and again in 2005. Woodley graduated from the university in 2005 with a major in Agricultural Economics.
Career[]
Woodley fought his first professional fight on February 7, 2009, against Steve Schnider. It was held by Headhunter Productions at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri. Woodley won via submission in the first round. Woodley's second professional bout was against Jeff Carstens on April 30, 2009. He won the bout via submission in the first round.
He was also in Strikeforce, UFC, and had a professional boxing career. He fought against Jake Paul on August 29, 2021 and lost. Woodley had a rematch with Paul on December 18, 2021 (after he wrapped his Odell scenes for Cobra Kai), but had lost again.
In 2022, he played Odell in Cobra Kai season 5, a master of Tang Soo Do, which contrasts to Tyron Woodley associating with mixed martial arts.
Trivia[]
- He was not the only MMA/UFC fighter to appear in Season 5. The other two were Eryk Anders and Stephen Thompson, who played Vicente Gonzales and Morozov, respectively.