UFC Vegas 11 Preview: Covington vs. Woodley
Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (19-5-1)
Tyron Woodley will enter the octagon tonight, coming off of the most disappointing stretch of his career. Losing the Welterweight Title to Kamaru Usman in a fight that saw him look like he didn’t want to be there, he followed it up with a similar performance against Gilbert Burns in May of this year. Woodley, who once haunted every man at 170 pounds in the UFC, has a chance to direct the ship in the right direction against his biggest rival, Colby Covington.
With Woodley accused of having one foot out the door in recent years, there is cause to believe he is more than motivated to return to form tonight. Bad blood has been forming between Covington and Woodley butted heads during a UFC 174 training camp in 2014. Claiming that Covington was trying to make a name for himself, Woodley hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with “Chaos” since that time.
The Covington vs. Woodley fight on Saturday night will not be the first time Dana White has tried to schedule it. After many attempts, everything is ready to go for a barn burner to take place from the UFC Apex.
Stylistically, this fight poses a lot of questions. With both men being spectacular wrestlers, one has to think this will stay on the feet. While Covington is known for his brutal offense volume, Woodley will be waiting to land his patented overhand right. We all saw how counterstriking worked for Robbie Lawler when he faced Covington back in August of 2019, so we’ll see how the team at American Top Team prepares this time around.
Colby “Chaos” Covington (15-2)
Covington, coming off of a loss of his own, will also have a chance to get back on track tonight in Las Vegas. Becoming the biggest heel in the business over the last few years, Colby has an opportunity to strengthen his resentful status with a victory over the former champion, Tyron Woodley. With the best chance to beat current champion Kamaru Usman is some people’s opinion, Covington can get back in the driver seat for a championship rematch when he competes for the first time in nine months.
Having his side of the story when it comes to that infamous training camp in 2014, “Chaos” would like to prove that he’s been the superior fighter all along. Stating that Woodley was trying to “tee off” on him, Covington also has an extra incentive to lay the…wood…on Tyron Woodley. With Colby only having five pro fights leading into their sparring sessions for UFC 174, both men will see how each has changed over the years.
While this could stay on the feet for the entire 25 minutes, Woodley was out-grappled in the Usman and Burns losses. Covington is aware of this and may have to resist his urge to land his barrage of strikes. Regardless, Covington wants another title shot, and Woodley needs to keep his place in the UFC. Having a shaky relationship with Papa Dana, losing convincingly for the third straight time, won’t bode well for The Chosen One.
It’s time for this collision course to meet its end. With one week before the juggernaut that is UFC 253, this main event will be the perfect appetizer for a tremendous fall lined up for the worldwide leader in MMA.
