Tyron Woodley has been in Colby Covington‘s crosshairs for years.
The first time Covington started calling out Woodley was in June 2017 when Woodley was the UFC welterweight champion. The fight never came to fruition then or after several other tries over the past few years. On Saturday that changes.
The elite welterweights will meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. It will be a true grudge match with a beef that dates all the way back to the first time they trained with each other in 2014.
“He has to live up to all the stuff he’s been talking,” Woodley told ESPN’s UFC Fight Camp this week.
The fight will have title ramifications in the welterweight division. ESPN has Covington ranked No. 2 in the world at 170 pounds, while Woodley is ranked No. 8.
Covington (15-2) has not fought since a fifth-round TKO loss to champion Kamaru Usman in a title fight at UFC 245 last December. The controversial Florida resident has a new training home at MMA Masters in Miami after a messy falling out with American Top Team. Covington, 32, had won seven straight prior to the Usman loss. He is a former interim welterweight champ.
Woodley (19-5-1) is on a two-fight losing streak. He dropped the title to Usman at UFC 235 in March 2019. Since then, he has lost to top contender Gilbert Burns. Woodley, 38, was unbeaten in seven straight prior to the past two fights and remains one of the top welterweights in UFC history with three successful title defenses.
In the co-main event Saturday, UFC wins leader Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone takes on action fighter Niko Price. Cerrone (36-15, 1 NC) has lost four straight and is looking to turn things around. Price (14-4, 1 NC) has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights.
Also on a stacked main card, top prospect Khamzat Chimaev meets Gerald Meerschaert, Johnny Walker faces Ryan Spann in a battle of up-and-coming light heavyweights and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Mackenzie Dern meets Randa Markos.
Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim recap the fights as they happen in Las Vegas.
Fight lineup:
Welterweight: Colby Covington (15-2, 10-2 UFC, -360) vs. Tyron Woodley (19-5-1, 9-4-1 UFC, +290)
Welterweight: Donald Cerrone (36-15, 23-12 UFC, +120) vs. Niko Price (14-4 1NC, 6-4 1NC UFC, -140)
Middleweight: Khamzat Chimaev (8-0, 2-0 UFC, -400) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (31-13, 6-5 UFC, +320)
Light heavyweight: Johnny Walker (17-5, 3-2 UFC, -120) vs. Ryan Spann (18-5, 4-0 UFC, +100)
Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern (8-1, 3-1 UFC, -165) vs. Randa Markos (10-9-1, 6-7-1 UFC, +145)
Middleweight: Kevin Holland (18-5, 5-2 UFC, -240) vs. Darren Stewart (12-5 1 NC, 5-4-1 NC UFC, +200)
Men’s flyweight: Jordan Espinosa (15-7, 2-2 UFC, -110) vs. David Dvořák (18-3, 1-0 UFC, -110)
Men’s featherweight: Mirsad Bektić (13-3, 6-3 UFC, -523) vs. Damon Jackson (17-3-1 1NC, 0-1 1NC UFC, +359)
Women’s flyweight: Mayra Bueno Silva (6-1, 1-1 UFC, -250) vs. Mara Romero Borella (12-8, 2-4 UFC, +210)
Women’s bantamweight: Jessica-Rose Clark (9-6, 2-2 UFC, -210) vs. Sarah Alpar (9-4, 0-0 UFC, +180)
Men’s featherweight: Darrick Minner (24-11, 0-1 UFC, +245) vs. T.J. Laramie (12-3, 0-0 UFC, -290)
Men’s bantamweight: Journey Newson (9-2 1NC, 0-1 1NC UFC, -140) vs. Randy Costa (5-1, 1-1 UFC, +120)
Men’s bantamweight: Andre Ewell (16-6, 3-2 UFC, -240) vs. Irwin Rivera (10-5, 1-1 UFC, +200)
Men’s bantamweight: Tyson Nam (19-11-1, 1-2 UFC, -170) vs. Jerome Rivera (10-2, 0-0 UFC, +150)