This weekend, UFC Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley looks to make his 3rd defense of the title when he takes on Demian Maia at UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones II. Here we preview the fight with a look back at the three career losses of the champ - we’ll break down what caused the loss, what he learned from it, and how it might relate to Saturday’s fight. All fights are available on Fight Pass, so follow along and share your thoughts.

#1 - Nate Marquardt (31-10-2) def. Tyron Woodley (10-0), KO (Round 4, 1:39)

July 14, 2012 - Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy

THE OPPONENT: Nate the Great is an MMA legend, and was far and away Woodley’s toughest test yet. After a 2007 title fight loss to Anderson Silva, Nate had gone 6-3 in the UFC then been released over some controversial medical issues. This was his first fight since the release, and his return from a 16 month hiatus.

WHAT HAPPENED: Nate pretty much called his shot here, saying Woodley gasses after 2 rounds, and Marquardt could break him within 5. Which is exactly what happened - Marquardt stood toe to toe with Woodley, got the better of the striking exchanges, and when Woodley began to fade, he closed the show violently.

LESSON: Most of Woodley’s early wins were fast stoppages. This fight showed that he needed to develop a gas tank and to deal with the adversity of things not going his way. We didn’t get to see either of those tested in his next fight, as he was back to the fast wins, stopping Jay Hieron in 36 seconds.

RELEVANCE TODAY: On the one hand, little. Marquardt’s strategy in this fight is not one Maia can employ, as he’s just not the kind of striker. On the other hand, lots. As I said, the next fight did not tell us if Woodley had made the needed adjustments after this loss, but the fight after it did. And the answer was not good.

#2 - Jake Shields (27-6-1(1)) def. Tyron Woodley (11-1), SD (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

June 15, 2013 - UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson

THE OPPONENT: Another world class opponent here in the former EliteXC and Strikeforce champion Shields. Shields had a bit of a tough road in the UFC, as he came in and went 2-2 before a No Contest due to a failed drug test against Ed Herman in his last fight before Woodley. Like Marquardt last time, this was Shields’s return after just under a year away.

WHAT HAPPENED: Once again, Woodley couldn’t finish Shields, and once again, Shields wore him down. But this fight looks nothing like that one. Shields is, how to put this?, NOT a striker. And yet even his striking seems to shut Woodley’s own striking down, as Woodley fights tentative here to avoid the takedown. This leads to, amazingly, Jake Shields winning the striking battle at times. Add in some clinch work on the cage, and Woodley doesn’t get much going here.

LESSON: Not to let fights get away from you. Woodley is too tentative and pretty much just gives this away by letting Shields dictate the fight. There is a middle ground between the charging offense against Hieron and this lack of output - Woodley needs to find it. And he hasn’t.

RELEVANCE TODAY: Massive. On the champ’s entire resume, Shields is the fighter most like Maia. Both are grapplers Woodley is likely going to try to avoid on the mat, both can grind you down, neither has strong striking. This was a close split decision, but if Woodley approaches Maia like he did Shields, he is leaving the door wide open for the challenger.

#3 - Rory MacDonald (16-2) def. Tyron Woodley (13-2), UD (30-27 x 3)

June 14, 2014 - UFC 174: Johnson vs. Bagautinov

THE OPPONENT: Rory Mac was on his way to a title shot at this time. He had a minor setback in a loss to eventual champ Robbie Lawler, but had bounced back with a win over (coincidentally) Maia. After this he would have one more win before his all time classic title fight with Ruthless.

WHAT HAPPENED: I feel like I’m repeating myself here, but... MacDonald pressured Woodley, using more accurate and aggressive striking to push Woodley to the cage and Woodley shut down. This is Woodley’s worst performance, as he even gets taken down and controlled on the mat in round 3.

LESSON: The same one we’ve been talking about - the need to not slip away and let the opponent dominate the fight. Woodley would make an adjustment in training after this fight (well, one more after this one), starting to work with Duke Roufus. He’s undefeated with Roufus in his corner.

RELEVANCE TODAY: Like the Marquardt fight, we’re not going to see Maia fighting like MacDonald Saturday night. But we could see Woodley again turtle up, and that could cost him the title.

FINAL VERDICT

It’s a bit disconcerting to see a world champion who has made the same basic mistakes in all 3 of his losses, and is yet to correct them. The Woodley that lost here is pretty much the same Woodley that we saw in both Wonderboy fights - he was just barely able to get the judges’ nod that time. These fights make it clear that the path to beating Woodley is out there, and he’s yet to make the needed adjustments to end that possiblity. It’s simply a question of whether or not Maia can execute the plan.

Join us here at Bloody Elbow Saturday night for live fight night coverage of Tyron Woodley vs. Demian Maia at UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones II.