Tyron Lakent Woodley (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist, rapper, and broadcast analyst, who is currently the reigning UFC welterweight champion. A professional since 2009, Woodley also fought in Strikeforce. As of November 7, 2018, he is #7 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Woodley was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri. He was the eleventh of thirteen children born to Sylvester and Deborah Woodley. He was raised by his mother after his father left the family early in his life. In high school, he was a two-sport athlete, competing in American football and amateur wrestling.
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.