The eagerly anticipated grudge match between former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington is almost official for September 19. Woodley took to Instagram yesterday to announce he is currently in camp preparing to face off ‘Chaos’ next month.
As of right now the UFC have not made this news official. Ariel Helwani of ESPN says that is because neither fighter has signed a fight contract, but the veteran MMA reporter believes that is inevitable after both men verbally agreed to main event on September 19.
“Tyron Woodley x Colby Covington is closer to becoming a reality than ever before. They have both verbally agreed to fight in September. Currently, it’s the main event on Sept. 19. But that’s the UFC 253 date, no? Well that might move to Abu Dhabi on 9/26. Fluid right now,” Helwani wrote on social media.
Woodley is looking to get back in the win column after suffering back-to-back defeats. ‘The Chosen One’ lost the welterweight to Kamaru Usman back at UFC 235 in March 2019. He then took more than a year off before returning against surging contender Gilbert Burns in May 2020. Woodley was dominated for five rounds against the Brazilian who ultimately picked up a unanimous decision win via the judges’ scorecards.
Covington is yet to fight in 2020. ‘Chaos’ also heads into this fight on the back of a loss. The 32-year-old fell short in his 170lb title bid at UFC 245 in December 2019. He went back-and-forth in a five round war with Usman before getting stopped with less than a minute left on the clock. Covington will now look to propel himself back into title contention by inflicting a third straight loss on Woodley.
Who do you think will emerge victorious on September 19? Tyron Woodley or Colby Covington?