Welterweight contenders Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley are all set to clash in what has been a long-awaited match. The duo was to fight when ‘The Chosen One’ reigned supreme at 170 lbs. However, injuries derailed their match-up on multiple occasions. The UFC wanted the clash to headline the August 22 fight card, but there is no official announcement regarding the date.
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Now, top-ranked contender Gilbert Burns has chimed in on the fight.
In a chat with The Schmo, ‘Durinho’ said, “It’s an intriguing matchup because Colby is not going to be that danger with the hands. So, with that being said, Woodley doesn’t need to be with the hands up like watching for the shots.”
He highlights Covington‘s incredible wrestling and says that ‘The Chosen One’ will need to defend takedowns regularly. However, as expected, the Brazilian fighter picked his previous opponent to claim the win and arrest his slide down the rankings.
Gilbert Burns picks Tyron Woodley to beat Colby Covington
Burns said, “His hands can be a little lower and then he’ll be able to defend the takedown easily. He very strong, and I don’t know. I hope Tyron Woodley get that cardio good, get his mental strength together. He needs to be strong, mentally strong going to that fight, but yeah, I’m going to see that one. I hope Tyron Woodley wins… It’s always going to be against Colby Covington.”
Burns went on to clarify his stance on Covington, revealing that his issues with the former interim champion are personal. He said, “It’s personal, he’s on my list. I have a list lot of guys that I wanna fight and he’s the number 1 guy. He’s the number one guy that I wanna beat up.”
Woodley remained the top-ranked welterweight till May, where he lost to Burns and had an alarming slide down the rankings. At present, he sits fifth, and knows that the third loss in a row will see him plummet even further.
Meanwhile, Covington remains on second in the welterweight rankings. He knows that a second loss could leave his ranking under threat as well. ‘Chaos’ lost to Kamaru Usman via a referee stoppage last December.
He will be looking towards the fight as a way to stake claim to another shot at the gold. Given his heelish characteristics, any opponent will be motivated and bring their A-game to fight him. Burns hopes Tyron Woodley will do the same, and get a long-awaited win.
Sources: The Schmo-YouTube
