Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Colby Covington will finally get his chance to prove he’s a better fighter than Tyron Woodley tomorrow night (Sat., Sept. 19, 2020) at UFC Vegas 11 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The welterweight pairing will serve as the main event and finally put an end to a feud years in the making.
This is a massive opportunity for both fighters as we enter the final stretch of 2020. Covington, who is coming off a TKO loss to champion Kamaru Usman back in December, is trying to claw his way back to another title shot. Woodley, on the other hand, is hoping to end the first two-fight losing skid of his career and prove he’s still one of the best 170-pound fighters on the planet.
Adding to the mix is the bad blood between “Chaos” and “Chosen One.” While Covington is undoubtedly the biggest trash talker in MMA today and has been goading Woodley for years, the former UFC champion has also dished it back at Covington. It’s one of the most anticipated matchups in the UFC’s welterweight division and a fight that is extremely marketable to fight fans everywhere.
“Animosity. You’ve got two guys who want to take each other’s heads off,” Covington told reporters earlier this week when asked why his fight with Woodley will sell. “You’ve got red vs. blue. You’ve got me capitalism vs. him communism. You’ve got MAGA vs. maggots. This is a heated rivalry.”
Covington isn’t lying. This is one of the biggest rivalry in the welterweight division today. Even though it is happening a few years too late it remains an absolute must-watch for any fight fan, especially considering a loss for Woodley could push him out of the title picture for good.
In order to gain an advantage over “Chaos” this weekend at UFC Vegas 11 Woodley trained alongside Jorge Masvidal. Covington and “Gamebred” were teammates and friends for years as members of American Top Team (ATT), but recent beef has ended that relationship and pushed Covington to an entirely different team. Woodley brought in Masvidal to pick his brain and find out what Covington is all about.
“I thought that was a great game plan for Tyron Woodley, to train with a guy I used to beat up every day so he could learn how to lose to me,” Covington said. “The only thing they game plan is how they’re going to make their alimony payments. I compare him to the Tin Man; he has no heart. So I just knew if we ever crossed paths it was going to be an easy night for me, and that’s what’s going to happen on Saturday night. It’s going to be easy money. I’m going to expose him.”
If Covington is able to take out Woodley in dramatic fashion this weekend in “Sin City” he will position himself quite nicely entering 2021. That could lead to an eventual rematch with Usman or a potential grudge match with Masvidal, who is already expected to defend his “BMF” title against Nate Diaz in a rematch early next year.
“Both of those guys are going to get it,” said Covington. “It doesn’t matter in which order it goes, it could be ‘Marty Fakenewsman’ or ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal. They’re both going to get it unless they’re both cowards and tuck their heads between their tails and run off. Those are the only two fights I’m looking for after I end Tyron Woodley’s career on Saturday night on ESPN.”
What say you, Maniacs? Will Covington hand Woodley his third-straight loss this weekend and prove he’s no longer a top threat?
Sound off!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 11 fight card HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.