Covington vs Woodley – what you need to know

Bad Blood

In the main event of the evening, former interim champion and No. 2 ranked Colby Covington, takes on former title holder and No. 5 ranked Tyron Woodley in a matchup between two top welterweight contenders.  An all-American wrestler in college, Covington has risen through the UFC®’s welterweight division, recording wins over UFC veterans Robbie Lawler and Rafael Dos Anjos and winning 10 of his 12 contests inside the Octagon®.  “Chaos” will be looking to reinsert himself in title conversations with a convincing win on Saturday against an established opponent.

Tyron Woodley, also an All-American wrestler, cannot be overlooked and has beaten a number of top names including Stephen Thompson, Kelvin Gastelum and Darren Till over the course of his career.  “The Chosen One” also ended Robbie Lawler’s reign as welterweight champion back in 2016 and currently holds a 19-5-1 career record.  Woodley, who has been training with BMF title holder Jorge Masvidal in advance of this contest, will be hoping a victory here will kickstart his return to the top of the division.  Fans should be in for a treat with this matchup between two former teammates with a long history.

Perfect Prospect

Unbeaten rising star Khamzat Chimaev puts his perfect 8-0 record on the line against Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight bout on the main card. Chimaev was hugely successful on Fight Island back in July, where he defeated John Phillips by second round submission.  He then followed up his victory with a commanding first round TKO of Rhys McKee just 10 days later, setting a record for shortest time between victories in UFC history.  Chimaev is certainly one to watch for his performance inside the Octagon, but his charitable actions outside of it have also gained attention, as a video of him buying food for a homeless man in Las Vegas recently went viral.

However, Gerald Meerschaert will be hoping to hand Chimaev his first loss and mark his own return to winning ways.   “GM3” is by far the more experienced of the two and currently holds a 31-3 career record, with recent wins over Deron Winn and Trevin Giles.  The veteran will be hoping his experience will give him the edge over his opponent looking to continue an incredible winning streak.  Tune into see how this exciting matchup plays out.

London Lad

Londoner Darren Stewart is also back in action this weekend as he takes on Kevin Holland in another middleweight bout on the main card. “The Dentist” last made an appearance at UFC FIGHT NIGHT ®: LEWIS vs. OLEINIK, where he impressively defeated Maki Pitolo by submission in the first round and earnt himself a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. He’s now won three of his last four bouts and will be looking to build on that success in this one.

Kevin Holland also secured a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus in his last outing and enters the bout on a two-fight win streak. “Trailblazer” has won five of his last six bouts, with his latest victory against Joaquin Buckley also coming on the UFC FIGHT NIGHT ®: LEWIS vs. OLEINIKcard.  This should be an entertaining matchup between two legitimate contenders who have found a lot of success as of late.