UFC 233 takes place on January 26 and it is already looking like it will end up being a fantastic card to start off the new year. With one title fight already lined up, we could be getting a second at 170-pounds.
It’s no secret that UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and interim champion Colby Covington do not like each other and are on a crash course to meet one another inside the Octagon at some point. It’s just a matter of when.
When speaking about how the two were supposed to meet at UFC 228, Covington’s manager Dan Lambert told Fightful that the UFC has begun to toss out some ideas for when they can make the fight happen.
“The timing on the September fight [at UFC 228] didn’t work for Colby cause he had just had some surgery and it would have been a crazy quick turnaround. They’ve reached out and asked if Colby would be available in January on the 26th show. But not sure if T-Wood’s gonna be available for that show.
He’s still getting over some surgery himself on his hand, so I’m not quite sure on when that fight’s gonna be but if I had to guess, it would be on the January or the February show. Could trickle into March depending on T-Wood’s hand.”
Covington’s last fight came in June when he defeated former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos by unanimous decision to become the new interim welterweight champion.
After the fight, Covington needed surgery on his nose which kept him from being able to compete at the UFC’s desired September 8 date for UFC 228 in Dallas, Texas.
As for Woodley, he would end up taking on Darren Till at this event instead, and despite his relatively easy victory, he would suffer a hand injury that required surgery thus keeping him out for the rest of 2018.
In regards to Covington’s interim title that was supposed to be stripped on the night of UFC 228, there haven’t been any signs indicating that that is indeed the case as Covington is still listed as the interim champion on the UFC’s website.
“They haven’t said anything to us about it whatsoever,” Lambert said of Covington being stripped. “The only thing we’ve talked about is what his next fight will be and when.”
UFC 233 takes place in Anaheim, California at the Honda Center. As for what is currently on tap for the first pay-per-view of 2019, those matchups can be seen below.
Flyweight – 125lbs: (C)Henry Cejudo vs. (BW C)TJ Dillashaw
Welterweight – 170lbs: Robbie Lawler vs Ben Askren
Bantamweight – 135lbs: Dominick Cruz vs John Lineker
Lightweight – 155lbs: James Vick vs. Paul Felder
Bantamweight: Marion Reneau vs. Yana Kunitskaya
Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Flyweight: Joanne Calderwood vs. Ariane Lipski
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 11/14/2018