One of the most heated rivalries in the UFC came to a conclusion Saturday night at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, when Colby Covington (16-2) finally made good on his word and beat Tyron Woodley (19-6-1) by fifth-round stoppage.
Woodley opened the first round with a flurry, appearing ready to set the pace of the night and showing an aggressiveness we haven’t seen from him since before his welterweight title loss to Kamaru Usman. But after the No. 2 ranked Covington took Woodley to the ground, the former champion never seemed to get his rhythm. The next four rounds would see Covington really control every aspect of the fight, getting inside on Woodley and dropping heavy shots. Covington eventually finished Woodley on the ground, who suffered a rib injury while attempting to defend himself while he was on his back.
The win was significant for Covington, who has called Woodley out for three years after breaking away as teammates at American Top Team. As an added bonus, the victory gets Covington back in the win column in his first fight since a TKO loss to Usman in December 2019, a fight in which he failed to win the UFC Welterweight Championship. In a sign of what he sees on his horizon, Covington made clear after the fight he wants another shot as Usman and a bout with Jorge Masvidal.
At 38 years old, Woodley’s career has come crashing down since his 2019 decision loss to Usman. He’s now dropped three consecutive fights, with losses to Gilbert Burns in May and Covington.