The Ultimate Fighting Championship will put on one of the biggest grudge matches of the year later this month when Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley finally go head to head.
Event: UFC Vegas 11: Covington vs. Woodley
Date: Saturday, 19th September 2020
Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcast: ESPN+ (5pm/8pm EST)
Over the course of the last few years we’ve all been waiting to see if and when Covington and Woodley would blow off their long-term feud with an actual fight inside the Octagon. Now, in 11 days, MMA fans around the world will get the chance to see the pair lock horns for the first time in a professional setting.
Covington is coming off the back of a TKO loss at the hands of Kamaru Usman, whereas Woodley is attempting to get back on the winning trail after back-to-back defeats against Usman and Gilbert Burns – the two men who will meet for the Welterweight Championship later this year.
UFC Vegas 11 Main Event
Welterweight – Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley
UFC Vegas 11 Confirmed Bouts
Women’s Strawweight – Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos
Featherweight – Darrick Minner vs. T.J. Laramie
Bantamweight – Randy Costa vs. Journey Newson
Women’s Bantamweight – Marion Reneau vs. Ketlen Vieira
Women’s Bantamweight – Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Sarah Alpar
Featherweight – Mirsad Bektić vs. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri
Welterweight – Donald Cerrone vs. Niko Price
Light Heavyweight – Johnny Walker vs. Ryan Spann
Middleweight – Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Women’s Flyweight – Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Mara Romero Borella
Bantamweight – Andre Ewell vs. Irwin Rivera
Middleweight – Kevin Holland vs. Darren Stewart
Welterweight – Miguel Baeza vs. Mickey Gall
A heavyweight bout between Cyril Gane and Shamil Abdurakhimov was set to feature on this card but has reportedly been pushed back to October 17.
One man who will certainly be watching UFC Vegas 11 showdown very closely is none other than welterweight king Kamaru Usman.
“This is an intriguing fight. I love this fight,” Usman said on the UFC Vegas 9 post-fight show (via MMA Fighting). “This is a grudge match that should have happened a long time ago.”
“I think that this is the best and possibly the worst case scenario for Tyron Woodley,” Usman continued. “As far as style matchups, I think this is probably one of the worst stylistic matchups for him after coming off back-to-back fights with guys that love kind of pressure him. Guys that can grapple as well and guys that kind of throw some volume.
“On the flip-side, this is a tremendous matchup for Tyron Woodley because Tyron Woodley is a specialist when it comes to dealing with southpaws,” Usman added. “He knows how to angle off, to kind of guide them into that big right hand that he has.”
What are your thoughts on the UFC Vegas 11 card?