The opening odds for the future UFC welterweight title unification bout between Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington were released released by the offshore sportsbooks. This is a big fight, and one worth writing about.
UFC Futures Opening Odds
Tyron Woodley -150
Colby Covington +110
Here are my initial thoughts on the bout:
This is one heck of a fight, and arguably the best welterweight title fight we’ve seen in the UFC in a few years. Woodley (18-3-1) won the UFC welterweight title with a brutal KO win over Robbie Lawler in July 2016 and has since defended his belt twice and retained it once, with wins over Demian Maia and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson as well as a draw with Thompson. All told, Woodley holds an all-time record of 8-2-1, and he’s unbeaten over his last six bouts. With his mixture of high-level wrestling to go along wth powerful hands as well as a high fight IQ, Woodley is undeniably one of the most well-rounded welterweights we’ve ever seen in the Octagon. However, he is now 36-years-old and he is coming off of a layoff of over a year heading into this fight with Covington, and those things could be the difference between winning and losing.
Covington (14-1) has turned from a prospect into a title holder in short order. He made his MMA debut in 2012 and quickly racked up five-straight wins before joining the UFC, making his Octagon debut back in 2014. Since then, the 30-year-old has gone 8-1 in the Octagon and has turned into one of the most polarizing figures in the sport due to his fighting style in the cage and what he spits on the mic. Covington has won six-straight fights and in his last fight he defeated Rafael dos Anjos to win the interim UFC welterweight title. The win over RDA really showed how much he has improved in all aspects of the game. While he was once labelled as just a wrestler, he’s now one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division, and a very worthwhile interim champ. Now, Covington will look to win the real belt when he takes on Woodley in what is going to be one of the most-anticipated bouts of the year. We don’t have a date for this fight yet, but it could happen in the late summer or fall.
Stylistically, it’s a competitive fight as both men have fairly similar fighting styles as dominant wrestlers who can punch. Woodley has more pure power, but Covington throws more volume. Woodley has better defense, but Covington has better cardio. The wrestling will likely cancel each other out, leaving this to be a striking match, and on the feet it’s anyone’s guess who will have the upper hand. Woodley has opened up as a slight favorite for this fight, which makes sense considering he’s the full champion, but Covington is getting some respect here with a short line. Honestly, I feel like it’s a very competitive fight, and I need to do more research in the coming months, but if bettors drive the Woodley line up and Covington becomes a bigger underdog, he might be the play here.
