LAS VEGAS -- Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley delivered a clear message Thursday during a UFC news conference at the company's Apex facility.
Woodley, who is from Ferguson, Missouri, responded with some variation of "Black Lives Matter" to all 10 questions he received from media members. The individual news conference was part of Woodley's media obligations for his upcoming bout against Colby Covington at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.
"I'm just excited that black lives matter," Woodley said, when asked about potentially staring down his opponent that day.
Woodley, 38, wore a shirt emblazoned with "Black Lives Matter" on the front. He also wore a red hat with the phrase "Make racists catch the fade again" printed on it. Covington, an avid supporter of President Donald Trump, is known for wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat to news conferences and in social media posts.
When asked if there was anything specifically within the Black Lives Matter movement Woodley would like to expand on, he responded, "Just the fact that black lives matter. I think it's pretty simple."
Covington has been known to use nationalistic and political issues as trash talk fodder in the past. Last month, he publicly criticized NBA players for boycotting several playoff games out of social protest. For his part, Covington downplayed the role of race in this weekend's main event.
"The only race in this fight is the race to get Tyron Woodley out of the UFC," Covington said.
