Woodley 'improved a lot' in short overseas training stint, says coach

Tyron Woodley has made significant improvements during his three-week training camp in Thailand, according to his coach, Mike Swick.

"He (stayed) basically right across the street from the gym," Swick told theScore.

Swick added, "He just trained, man, and he improved a lot in such a short period of time. He's the type of guy that can adapt, learn really fast, and pick things up."

Woodley (19-4-1) is scheduled to face Leon Edwards in the main event at UFC London. The 37-year-old became friends with Swick earlier in his career when the pair trained at the original AKA gym in San Jose, Calfornia. That connection led Woodley to choose AKA Thailand over Tristar Gym for this training camp.

Swick, a former UFC fighter, started AKA Thailand in 2013 and has seen his facility flourish over the last seven years. One of the advantages of Swick's gym is his nontraditional Muay Thai coaches who teach techniques designed for MMA fighters.

"Unlike most gyms, my Muay Thai trainers are adapted to MMA," Swick explained, adding, "They train these guys with the best Muay Thai techniques, in their own stance, in ways that they don’t have to correct theirselves later on. It's a huge advantage for MMA fighters that want to learn Muay Thai."

Woodley understood he needed to get in better shape. "The Chosen One" lost his welterweight title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 in part because "The Nigerian Nightmare" outworked the former champion for five rounds. Swick believes that won't be an issue against Edwards.

"He lost a lot of weight, and he got in really good shape in three weeks," Swick said. "Now, we're just checking in with him daily (in the U.S.), making sure things are good. A bunch of (us) are going to London, and we're going to be there for the fight and just enjoy Tyron probably shocking a lot of people coming back strong."

Edwards has never been finished in his 21-fight career, but Swick believes Woodley has the tools to put away the U.K. fighter.

"When a guy's never been finished, that's a tough guy," Swick said. "That's a guy that you have to be worried about."

He added, "But Tyron is a crazy, explosive athlete and he's got freaky-strong strikes. ... He absolutely has a way of putting Leon Edwards out in this fight, 100%, if he can land that good strike."

UFC London is currently scheduled to take place March 21 at The O2 Arena in London, England.

Watch the full interview with Swick (36:37 mark) on the latest edition of theScoreMMA podcast below. Subscribe to our Youtube channel here.