Despite getting stepped over for bonus, Tyron Woodley announces his UFC arrival

Tyron Woodley (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was this close to getting a "Knockout of the Night" bonus at UFC 156, but Antonio Silva's big mitts grabbed the honor when he knocked out Alistair Overeem.

"'Bigfoot' f----d him," White said following this past Saturday's event, which took place at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

So Jay Hieron (23-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC) didn't make quite the thud Overeem did when he hit the canvas after taking a big right hand from Woodley. It was still a triumph for the former Strikeforce fighter, who consistently fought criticism that he was a lay-and-pray wrestler.

The only one doing any laying during his preliminary-card fight was Hieron, who was saved at 36 seconds of the first round.

Woodley's previous fight ended the opposite way, and handed him his first professional loss. This past July, he took on Nate Marquardt for the then-vacant Strikeforce title and was knocked out in the fourth round. After three straight decisions under the now-defunct promotion's banner, many fans were happy not to see a scorecard in his fight (and some were happy he was the one stopped).

But Woodley plans on changing minds.

"A lot of people don't realize, in the beginning of my career, I finished everybody," Woodley told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "So for me, it's a new leaf turned over. It's a new organization, and I want to send a message to all the welterweights that I'm here."

There's still a lot of work to be done in the welterweight division, so Woodley can't rest too easy. Just a few fights north on the card, Demian Maia made a huge statement by outgrappling perennial title contender Jon Fitch to claim a spot near the top of the division. "T-Wood" needs several fights before he can follow in those footsteps.

But it's a good start. And where there are no disclosed bonuses, there are discretionary checks.

"It just felt really good to make a statement," Woodley said.