Can Colby Covington become the first fighter to knockout Tyron Woodley
Colby Covington will take on former Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Woodley. Colby Covington is coming off a loss against Kamaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship, while Tyron Woodley is coming off back to back losses against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. Covington is currently ranked #2 in the UFC Welterweight rankings, while Woodley is placed at the fifth position. It is an interesting match-up, considering both the fighters have been calling out each other on social media for over a year now. Both Woodley and Covington have blamed each other for ducking out of the fight. Everything will be answered when they meet inside the octagon this September.
Tyron Woodley hasn't been able to put up impressive performances inside the octagon since his last two fights. After toppling Darren Till in September of 2018, Woodley lost his Welterweight title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235. On the other hand, Colby Covington put up an absolutely sensational performance against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245. There's a reason to believe that Covington could have won the fight had it gone the distance, however, he narrowly missed out on a victory after Usman picked up a TKO win in the fifth round. It will be interesting to see how well Covington performs in his comeback fight against someone as credible as Tyron Woodley.
Who has the edge in Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley?
If we look at the recent performances, Colby Covington has a significant edge over former Champion Tyron Woodley. Both the fighters are proficinet striker. However, they are very diverse punchers of the game. Woodley likes to strike hard and finish his opponents, while Covington is a volume puncher. Covinton is also relentless and has shown exceptional cardio. It's safe to assume that Covington is a five-round fighter who can both wrestle and strike. It is a very dangerous combination in a fighter and could be a tough challenge for Tyron Woodley. The former Champion, despite having not performed in his last fights cannot be taken for granted. Woodley has already cemented his position as one of the greatest welterweight fighter of all time. With notable victories over Damien Maia, Stephen Thompson, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit, Woodley will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
It was interesting to note that Woodley did not try to wrestle with Gilbert Burns in his last fight. Despite Burns' solid BJJ credentials, Woodley is a world-class wrestler who has become less dominant since his last two fights. He will look to make a comeback in big fight against Colby Covington which can can plummet him back to the title picture. Woodley is also a very lethal striker with one punch knockout power. However, Colby Covington is an equally efficient striker who will look to soldify his chance at the Welterweight gold once again after win over former Champion Tyron Woodley.
If we look at the recent performances, Colby Covington is expected to come out victorious in this one. Covington has looked sharp, and has come the closest a fighter has ever come to beating undefeated and undisputed king of the Welterweight division, Kamaru Usman.
Can Colby Covington finish the fight against Tyron Woodley?
Tyron Woodley has never been finished inside the UFC octagon. In his 14 fights inside UFC, he has only lost 4 times inside the octagon. All of these losses have come via decision.
Colby Covington has what it takes to become the first fighter in UFC to finish Tyron Woodley inside the octagon. He is relentless and puts continued pressure on his opponents. Covington is also a dominant wrestler and could look to take the fight to the ground against Woodley. Covington is a Division I wrestler with a solid submission game. However, it could most likely be striking battle between a volume puncher and a knockout artist. While it's difficult to see Covington knocking out Woodley, he could look for a TKO victory against the former Champion to cement his position for the next title defense.