Woodley lost hope with Covington, targeting Burns fight

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A welterweight fight between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns could be headlining a card on May 23rd. Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley says he has moved on from seeking a fig…

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A welterweight fight between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns could be headlining a card on May 23rd.

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley says he has moved on from seeking a fight against Colby Covington, and instead is looking to fight Gilbert Burns on May 23rd.

Longtime rivals in the welterweight division, Woodley and Covington have never been booked to fight each other but both have shown interest several times in the past.

Most recently the two wanted to fight each other at the scheduled UFC 249 card on April 18th after the main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fell through, but the card was eventually cancelled entirely.

“I waited as long I could for Colby,” Woodley told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. “But he doesn’t want it, so I’m moving on.”

Woodley (19-4-1) hasn’t fought since losing his welterweight title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 in March of last year. “The Chosen One” reigned as 170-pound champion from 2016 to 2019, successfully defending his belt against Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, and Darren Till.

Burns (18-3) is undefeated in five fights at 170 pounds. “Durinho” most recently knocked out Demain Maia at UFC Brasilia in March. Burns took to Twitter following the news to say this is the fourth time he has accepted a fight with Woodley.

No event or location has been announced for the planned Fight Night card on May 23rd.