UFC Fight Night: Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley Preview, Odds, Prediction

Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley guarantee a spectacle this Saturday, as they meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night 178, held at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. These two guys are after one another for quite some time, and all because Colby wanted to fight at the time, the welterweight champion Woodley. That didn’t happen, and Kamaru Usman stepped in, beating the Chosen One, taking over his belt, and after that, crushing Colby as well. Now, these two guys finally get their chance to settle all the disputes, which makes this fight even more interesting. 

Preview

Covington (-385) is an absolute favorite here. Yet, that is mostly because of Woodley’s last fight where he lost against Gilbert Burns who pretty much demolished the former champ.

As for Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), we haven’t seen him fight since that meeting with Kamaru and a TKO loss in the fifth round. He wanted to step inside the ring during the COVID-19 break, when UFC provided multiple events, but eventually, he wasn’t booked for a single battle. There were many rumors back then that he wanted a rematch with Usman and to fight Woodley or Leon Edwards. Still, nothing happened. 

The former interim champion is a guy with great stamina, and the majority of his recent matches in the UFC all saw the distance. He would earn his biggest wins over Robbie Lawler, Demian Maia, and Rafael dos Anjos after decisions. All of them were unanimous, by the way.

Woodley (-290) didn’t perform well in his first fight following the title loss. He was heavily beaten by the Brazilian soon to be challenger, Gilbert Burns, who was all over Woodley during their matchup. 

It seems that his age is now the biggest opponent for him, as he can’t recover fast from injuries as before. Though, truth to be told, Woodley was never someone who had luck with his health issues and was often outside the ring primarily due to recovery.

When talking about this guy, we need to say that he used to be a great champion, but now, he is a skilled veteran with a short tank, and that claim was definitely backed up with those losses to Usman and Burns.

Prediction

The odds are saying it all. Just look at them. Colby is the favorite, and he will win this one. He had enough time to rest, to prepare well, and to heal all his injuries. Plus, he is highly motivated to book one more match for the title. There is a realistic chance for that after Kamaru and Gilbert Burns finish their business. 

Woodley is on his way down, and as much as some don’t want to hear that, it is true. The fight against Burns exposed all of his flaws and weaknesses. Once Covington gets to him, be sure that he won’t hesitate for a second to use all of them and finish this one big style in order to make an impression.

Odds on Colby’s win here are not too high, but it appears that he won’t have too much trouble with the former champion.