UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Woodley Betting Preview, Odds & Analysis

Following Michelle Waterson’s decision win over Angela Hill, UFC betting fans are anxious for a more brutal main event. Fortunately enough, UFC Fight Night: Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley is up next on the schedule. This matchup is bound to deliver a devastating finish given the animosity between Woodley and Covington. Let’s take a sportsbook look at this weekend’s event before mulching over the MMA sports betting lines.

UFC Fight Night: Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley – Saturday

When: Main Card: 8 p.m. ET | Prelims: 6 p.m. ET

Where: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Ne

TV: Main Card: ESPN+ | Prelims: ESPN+

Stream: Main Card: ESPN+ | Prelims: ESPN+

Odds

• The odds favor Covington -350 on the moneyline and are pegging Woodley as a +250 underdog SU
• Scroll down for an in-depth look at this UFC Welterweight bout

WHO YA GOT? 😤

The bad blood hits a boiling point THIS Saturday on #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/qMsSiH39cx

— UFC (@ufc) September 14, 2020

Woodley is a former UFC Welterweight champion whose reign spanned nearly three-years. Kamaru Usman dethroned Woodley at UFC 235. Covington, on the other hand, had a chance to dethrone Usman at UFC 245 but came up short against the Nigerian. With that in mind, let’s check out where the favoritism lies ahead of this weekend’s UFC action.

UFC Fight Night Betting Analysis

The odds are heavily favoring Covington in this welterweight bout. The heavy favoritism is a bit surprising to see since both fighters are coming off losses. Not only that, Woodley suffered a decision loss to Usman while the current UFC welterweight champion managed to finish Covington in the fifth. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup to see if we can find the reason behind the heavy favoritism.

Tyron Woodley

Woodley claimed the welterweight belt in 2016 with a vicious knockout over the then-champion Robbie Lawler. From there Woodley would go on to face Stephen Thompson twice in a row, first drawing and then ultimately defeating Thompson via decision at UFC 209. Although those bouts were heavily anticipated, they failed to deliver on the promised hype. The subsequent fight versus Darren Till would not however as Woodley finished Till via D’Arce Choke in the second. That victory marked Woodley’s last as welterweight champion since he would go on to lose his belt to Usman afterwards.

Following the decision loss to Usman in early 2019, Woodley would be paired against Burns at UFC on ESPN 9. Burns would win the pairing via unanimous decision, extending his UFC win streak to 6 straight over the former champ. Facing the possibility of losing three in a row, Woodley brings a newfound level of hostility into the cage. The necessity for a win coupled with his hatred for Covington will surely propel Woodley.

Ther former champion enters this bout with a 19-5 record. So far, seven of Woodley’s triumphs have come via knockout, five via submission, and the rest were decision wins. On the losing end of things, Woodley has been knocked out but has never been submitted. This is due to the strength of Woodley’s wrestling, something that will surely be put to the test versus Covington. However, it’s no stretch to say that Woodley is deadlier on the feet. Don’t believe me? Watch some of Woodley’s finishes below.

Colby Covington

As mentioned, Covington is coming off a TKO loss to Usman at UFC 245. Before that, the American fighter had built up a seven-fight win streak in the UFC. Some notable victories include decision wins over Dong Hyun Kim, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos and Lawler as well. The win over dos Anjos earned Covington the Interim UFC Welterweight belt, which was ultimately stripped. He had a chance to win the real belt but came up short against Usman.

Matchup wise, Covington is at a disadvantage. Although Covington is two inches taller than Woodley, he suffers from a two-inch reach disadvantage. The fighters have distinct fighting styles. Covington likes to overwhelm his opponents with unrelenting pressure while Woodley prefers to overpower his opponents with his Herculean striking. It’s an interesting matchup but the oddsmakers clearly think Covington has the edge. There’s no question that Covington’s cardio is superior to Woodley’s. Anyone who’s seen his fights would agree. Not only that, but Woodley’s more muscular physique will quickly eat up his oxygen supply. This will give Covington a bigger and bigger edge the longer the fight goes on.

Nevertheless, Covington will have to survive an early onslaught in order to reap the benefits of that edge. Although the odds are convinced Covington’s wrestling will help him neutralize that edge early on, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Woodley add another brutal knockout to his already jaw-dropping highlight reel.

Make sure you check out BetUS’ parlay card contest to get the most out of this weekend’s UFC betting action. Compete against other bettors to see who can more accurately predict the outcome of 11 fights from UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Woodley’s lineup. Beat the completion with a parlay card of $5 and make 11 picks out of this 13-fight card to come out on top!