After losing in back to back fights, Tyron Woodley no longer seems to be the man to beat in the Welterweight division. Woodley was undefeated from late 2014 to early 2019. In March 2019 Kamaru Usman dominated Tyron Woodley to become the new Welterweight champion.
Woodley returned 14 months later to fight up and coming superstar Gilbert Burns. Burns seemed to be on a roll lately winning his last 6 fights, and was ranked #6 in the Welterweight division. Tyron Woodley was easily defeated by Gilbert Burns.
Colby Covington won several fights in a row to earn a title shot versus the champion, Kamaru Usman, in Dec 2019. The fight was close, but Usman TKO’d Covington in the 5th and final round. As a result of this fight, Covington’s career is at a standstill.
Neither Covington nor Woodley have an opponent and both of them are looking for top fighters to propel themselves to a championship fight. For both fighters the match seems perfect, and Tyron Woodley has publicly stated that he has accepted the fight against Colby Covington.
Who would win between Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington?
Unfortunately for Woodley fans, the answer is simple. Tyron Woodley would be dominated for the third time in a row.
In his last two fights Woodley has shown he cannot handle the pressure of his opposition. He often sits back and waits for that one knockout punch or goes for takedowns to use his wrestling, which is not a reliable game-plan.
Covington is a terrible matchup for Woodley. Colby Covington is known for his intense pressure in the octagon. In Covington’s fight against Robbie Lawler, he threw 500+ strikes. To put that into perspective Tyron Woodley only threw a combined 180 strikes in his last two fights.
Because Covington is such a great stand up fighter, Woodley will have to look for takedowns to utilize his wrestling. The problem with that is Colby Covington is an All-American wrestler with several championships at the collegiate level. Kamaru Usman dominated Woodley on the ground and Gilbert Burns out-maneuvered Woodley wrestling, which led to that fight being primarily a stand-up fight. Covington is a very elite wrestler, so Woodley will have problems with him on the ground. Colby Covington will easily defeat Tyron Woodley by unanimous decision if this fight ever happens.
Photo: UFC
