Tyron Woodley Out 8-12 Weeks After Hand Injury Surgery | Bleacher's report

UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, has suffered a hand injury that will require surgery and will require him to miss between eight and twelve weeks of action.

Ariel Helwani of ESPN provided the update on Friday:

Woodley recently fought on September 8 when he successfully defended his World Middleweight title with a second-round win over Darren Till at UFC 228.

"I dislocated my thumb in the fight (Till) and by doing it I tore up three ligaments," he said. Helwani. "They are doing an inexpensive surgery to provide more stability to my hand and minimize the potential for arthritis."

Woodley said the procedure is scheduled for mid-October.

The 36-year-old Missouri native has a career MMA record of 19-3-1, including a 9-2-1 mark since joining UFC from Strikeforce in early 2013.

He won the welterweight championship with a victory over Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 in July 2016. After a draw with Stephen Thompson in his first defensive title, he won three straight wins against Thompson, Demian Maia and Till.

Helwani said the UFC was planning a clash between Woodley and Colby Covington at UFC 230 in November before the champion's defeat.

According to the schedule of two to three months, Woodley would not be fully recovered from the operation until December or January. It's hard to know how long it will take to get ready for his next game.