Tyron Woodley returns to wrestling, faces Joaquin Buckley at RAF 12

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will face Joaquin Buckley in a catchweight wrestling match at Real American Freestyle 12 on Aug. 22 in Cleveland, MMA Mania reports.

Woodley, who captured and defended UFC gold four times before losing the belt to Kamaru Usman in 2019, built his foundation as a collegiate powerhouse at the University of Missouri. He became the school's first Big 12 Conference individual champion in 2003, posted a 110-38 career record, earned All-American honors twice, and later landed in the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame.

Woodley's rough stretch since losing UFC title

The stretch since Usman has been brutal. Woodley dropped four straight MMA bouts and all three of his boxing matches, getting stopped in his last two by Anderson Silva and Jake Paul. The RAF bout marks his first wrestling competition in more than two decades.

Buckley, ranked No. 10 at welterweight in the UFC, lost his RAF debut to Pat Downey via technical fall and has dropped two straight inside the cage, most recently getting dominated by Sean Brady. Wrestling Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs is also set for RAF 12, though his opponent has not been announced.

RAF runs two events before the Cleveland card: RAF Georgia on July 11 and RAF 11 in Milwaukee on July 18.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Former UFC champ Tyron Woodley returns, draws No. 10-ranked Joaquin Buckley