By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Colby Covington showed he is ready for a title fight after scoring a huge technical knockout win against former UFC welterweight king Tyron Woodley.
Welterweight’s no. 2 contender proved to be too much for the former champion after hounding him from the first down to the fifth round.
Coming in with plenty of energy and determination to end the long-time debate, Covington applied pressure by employing his striking game well that negated Woodley’s big right hand finishes.
The least expected ground game from Covington also became an edge for him as he was able to convert successive takedowns and showed efficient striking on the ground.
Woodley’s camp expected regain some ground in the last two rounds but his rib injury gave him problems in the last and triggered the match referee to stop the fight to avoid further injury.
In the 1:19 mark of the last round, Covington scored a perfect takedown and looked to gain position underneath but Woodley sneaked in and tried to counter with a guillotine choke.
After the two fighters tangled for positioning, a surprising scream from Woodley stunned the referee and pointed to his ribs, signaling that he was hurt.
With the win, Covington is currently seeking a shot against the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
