COLBY COVINGTON vs TYRON WOODLEY
The bad blood could be felt all over The Apex in Las Vegas even before the welterweights ever stepped foot in the cage for the Main Event. Former champions Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington didn’t hide their feels towards each other in the weeks leading up to the showdown. Both men coming off loses to Welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman in 2019 were looking to prove they deserve to be in the hunt for another title opportunity
Colby Covington who isn’t shy about voicing his opinion, made some remarks on Twitter when Lebron James and the NBA took a stand against racial injustice in this country that didn’t exactly sit well with many fellow fighters. Karamu Usman after the remarks said “I wish someone would break your jaw….”. This of course coming off the fact that he in fact did in their last fight. Woodley didn’t have many kind words either and showed up to the weigh-in dressed in clothing that showed his support for the BLM movement.
The Main Event started out with no touching of the gloves but Covington would find his gloves on Woodley for the majority of the night. Colby controlled the fight for all 4 rounds with accuracy and takedowns until the sudden stoppage which won him the fight by TKO at 1:19 of round 5. After a takedown from Covington, Woodley could audibly be heard yelling “My Rib, My Rib” which caused the referee to step in. Noticeably on pain, Tyron Woodley stayed on the ground with a ice pack during the announcement of the winner
The stoppage was a formality at that point and gave Colby Covington the TKO victory instead of what was sure to be a unanimous decision. Tyron Woodley was a shell of his former self in the ring and was systematically picked apart all night long. Covington landed a ridiculous 74.6% of his strikes, 232/311 overall, with Woodley only landing 67/116 total strikes. This lands Colby right back in the mix for a title shot against Usman or could set up a potential fight with Jorge Masvidal in 2021. Tyron Woodley on the other hand has seen a rapid decline in the ring which even prompted Dana White to say he could consider giving it up. Covington improves to 16-2 and Tyron Woodley falls to 19-6-1.
DONALD CERRONE vs NIKO PRICE
The Co-MainEvent of the evening featured a battle between journeyman, UFC veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Niko Price. At this point In his career The Cowboy seems to be a measuring stick for the division as he will fight anyone, anywhere. Price came out swinging and trying end the night but Cerrone ate a lot of huge attacks early just to keep pushing forward, landing a few of his own. In the end the judges had it 29-27, 28-28,28-28 a majority draw, the line decision of 29-27 going in the favor of Cerrone. Donald Cerrone keeps his record at 36-15-1 and Niko Price stays at 14-4-1. Neither man plans to figure into title contention anytime soon but that doesn’t mean either can’t provide entertainment inside the Octagon.
KHAMZAT CHIMAEV vs GERALD MEERSCHAERT
Highly touted prospect Khamzat Chimaev had his own pre fight issues prior to facing Gerald Meerschaert. Chimaev came into the fight a heavy favorite and already had been booked for his next fight which prompted Gerald to feel disrespected, as if he stood no chance against Khamzat. Well, you’d think that were true as Chimaev improved to 9-0. It only took Khamzat 17 seconds and one right hand to put away Meerschaert who falls to 31-14. With an already stacked Welterweight, it’s hard to say where Khamzat falls in the ranks with only 9 wins. If this kind of dominance continues into 2021 don’t be surprised if he starts knocking at the door of the top 5 fighter in the division very, very soon.
JOHNNY WALKER vs RYAN SPAN
A battle of Light Heavyweight standouts took place when Ryan Span took on Johnny Walker. Span, riding a 8 fight win streak looked as if number 9 was a formality. Span rocked Walker early with big punches but then with Span sprawling for a takedown against the cage, Walker landed two solid elbows and two hammer-fists which ended Spans night rather quickly in Round 1. Johnny Walker improves to 18-5 while Ryan Span falls to 18-6. It’s hard to say where either men fall in the division with it being wide open now that Jon Jones vacated the title to move up to Heavyweight
MACKENZIE DERN vs RANDA MARKAS
In a battle of the Woman’s Strawweight division Mackenzie Dern took on Randa Markos. Dern, known for her excellent submission skills and ground game one again proved just how good she is. Markos made the mistake of trying to play Dern’s game and was submitted with a slick armbar at 3:44 of the first round. Mackenzie Dern improves to 9-1 and shows she’s a force in the division while Randa Markos falls to 10-10. It’s obvious Dern has the jujitsu skills as she’s finished 6 of her opponents by submission but if she can round out her game, the sky is the limit
The UFC delivered once again with a very good Fight Night. There were stoppages galore and even a post fight call from Donald Trump himself to winner Colby Covington. Next up for Dana White and company will be UFC 253, September 26th, which features a middleweight title clash between two undefeated fighters as champion Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya and Paulo Costa on EPSN+ PPV
Check out our official store at PRO WRESTLING TEES, show us your support and buy a shirt. You can visit our store by clicking here.
Make sure to follow us on Twitter @BodySlamNet and on Instagram @BodySlamDotNet
Also check us out on Facebook and give us a like and share by clicking HERE.
