UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Covington – Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

Before the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for its second Fight Island Series, it closes out its stint at the APEX Facility with a big fight card headlined by the long-anticipated showdown between bitter rivals Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington. It also has an explosive co-main event featuring Donald Cerrone and Niko Price. Top prospect Khamzat Chimaev is also in the fight card as well as McKenzie Dern, and Johnny Walker.

Let’s take a look at the main card of UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Covington and pick our winners:

Tyron Woodley vs Colby Covington

Tyron Woodley is the 5th ranked welterweight in the UFC and the former UFC welterweight champion. The 38-year old Woodley also fought for Strikeforce and once challenged for the title. Woodley held the UFC belt from 2016-18 with four title defenses. He is coming off back to back losses to Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. Woodley is 5-9 tall with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 19-5 with 7 knockouts and 5 wins via submission.

Colby Covington is the #2 ranked welterweight in the promotion. The 32-year old is a former All-American collegiate wrestler and a former interim UFC welterweight champion. Covington is coming off a loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 245. Chaos stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 72 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. The Usman loss was his lone defeat in his last eight bouts. He has a record of 15-2 with two knockouts and five wins via submission.

Woodley has looked bad in his last two fights and he hasn’t been as active as you’d want him to be. During those fights, he’s looked lost, couldn’t land his takedowns, refused to let his hands go. I mean Woodley is not a volume striker but he probably needs to be more active here against Covington who has an impressive gas tank. Both men have great wrestling so Woodley might want to test Covington’s striking. However, based on what we’ve seen in recent bouts, Covington will outstrike Woodley here. I don’t see how Woodley wins except if he lands a knockout punch.

Prediction: Colby Covington

Donald Cerrone vs Niko Price

Donald Cerrone is the 14th ranked lightweight in the UFC. This former UFC lightweight title challenger is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC and holds several UFC records including most wins in the UFC. Cerrone has lost his last four bouts although those defeats have come against Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, and Anthony Pettis. Cowboy is 36-15 with 10 knockouts and 17 submission victories. He stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 73 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Niko Price is a former Fight Time welterweight champion who joined the UFC with an undefeated record. He joined the UFC in 2016 but has only compiled a record fo 5-4-1 inside the octagon. The 30-year old heads to this fight after a loss TKO loss to Vicente Luque. He stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 76 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 14-4 with 10 knockouts and three wins via submission.

I’m a huge Donald Cerrone fan and I love the guy for his love for fighting. But Cerrone is no longer the Cowboy who used to fight five times a year and win every bout. He is no longer a spring chicken and I think one of the reasons why he’s struggling to pick up wins is that he’s not taking enough time to rest in between losses. Price is younger and stronger plus he has the advantage in reach. If he pushes the pace, he’ll tire Cerrone and eventually land a couple of big shots that turn this fight to his favor.

Prediction: Nick Price

Khamzat Chimaev vs Gerald Meerschaert

Khamzat Chimaev fought for Brave FC before joining the UFC this year. He won his first two bouts inside the octagon, winning two fights in consecutive events while fighting in different weight classes. The 26-year old from Stockholm, Sweden is 6-2 tall with a reach of 75 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He is undefeated in eight bouts with five knockouts and three wins via submission. Chimaev knocked out Rhys McKie inside one round at UFC on ESPN 14.

Gerald Meerschaert is the former RFA middleweight champion who also fought for Titan FC and King of the Cage. The 32-year old is 6-5 inside the UFC octagon and has lost four out of his last six bouts. Meerschaert is coming off a TKO loss to Ian Heinisch at UFC 250. He stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 77 inches while fighting out of the southpaw stance. Meerschaert has a record of 31-13 with six knockouts and 23 wins via submission.

Chimaev took the first Fight Island series by storm with two wins at two different weight classes in 10 days. He is one of the top prospects in the UFC with his aggressive wrestling and dominating the top game. Meerschaert is a solid mid-tier UFC fighter who has underrated punching power and a devastating leg kick. It’s crazy how big a favorite Chimaev is when we haven’t seen him in deep waters yet. I think Chimaev is good but right now, I can’t say how good. His youth and cardio should be the key here.

Prediction: Khamzat Chimaev but I won’t blame you if you take the plus money with Meerschaert

Johnny Walker vs Ryan Spann

Johnny Walker is the 11th ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 28-year old from Brazil competed for Jungle Fight and is a former UCMMA and EBD light heavyweight champion. Walker joined the UFC via the Contender Series and had won a total of nine consecutive bouts before suffering back to back losses to Corey Anderson and Nikita Krylov. He stands 6-6 tall with a reach of 82 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Ryan Spann is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance light heavyweight champion and the 12th ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. He appeared in the Contender Series season 10 and is undefeated in four bouts inside the octagon. The orthodox fighter stands 6-5 tall with a reach of 79 inches. He has a record of 18-5 with four knockouts and 11 wins via submission. Spann is coming off a split decision win over Sam Alvey at UFC 249.

This is possibly the most exciting fight of the evening and probably the hardest to pick. Walker was one of the top prospects in the division before he lost back to back fights. Surely, he can’t lose a third straight. However, Walker has looked so bad in his last two bouts that it’s hard to put your money on him. Spann isn’t as hyped but he’s a solid fighter who can hold his own against Walker on the feet. Spann also has heavy hands but I think his ability to take this fight to the mat and his ground game will be the keys to winning this fight.

Prediction: Ryan Spann

Mackenzie Dern vs Randa Markos

Mackenzie Dern is a former no. 1 ranked IBJJ competitor. She is an ADCC and no-gi BJJ world champion. Dern is currently ranked 15th in the UFC women’s strawweight division. The 27-year old fought for Legacy FC, LFA, and Invicta FC before joining the UFC. She is 3-1 inside the octagon and is coming off a win over Hannah Cifers. Dern is 5-4 tall with a reach of 63 inches while fighting via the orthodox stance. She has a record of 8-1 with five submission wins.

Randa Markos is a former Provincial FC strawweight champion. The 35-year old joined the UFC in 2014 and she has picked up a record of 6-7-1. Overall Markos has a record of 10-8 with four wins via submission. Markos stands 5-4 tall with a reach of 63 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Markos knows how to put together good punch combinations and she also has faster hands. If she can keep this fight on the feet, then I think she has a good chance of winning this fight. However, Dern is a fighter who gets the fight to wherever she wants to and in this particular bout, she will want to fight on the mat. With her impressive grappling background and submission prowess, she will dominate Markos on the mat. One mistake here and we could see a terrific submission win for Dern.

Prediction: Mackenzie Dern

Kevin Holland vs Darren Stewart

Kevin Holland is the former XKO middleweight and welterweight champion. The 27-year old also fought for Bellator before joining the UFC via the Contender Series. Holland is 5-2 inside the octagon and is coming off back to back knockout wins over Anthony Hernandez and Joaquin Buckley. He has a record of 18-5 with nine knockouts and six wins via submission. Holland is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 81 inches.

Darren Stewart is the former Killcams Promotion light heavyweight champion who also fought for Cage Warriors. The 29-year old from England is coming off a win over Maki Pitolo last month and is making a quick turnaround here. Stewart has a record of 12-5 with seven knockouts and one win via submission. He stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Darren Stewart at big plus money is intriguing because he has the power, aggression, and ability to finish fights. He’s a kind of fighter who always has that puncher’s chance to win any bout and those are the kind of fighters you want to for your underdog picks. However, Holland is the more polished fighter between the two. He is a disciplined striker and has a high level of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu background. Holland is also the more consistent fighter between the two and when you have an aggressive striker like Stewart, he’s open to counters. I’ll pick Kevin Holland here and if you find a prop bet for a win by KO, that would give you a better payout.

Prediction: Kevin Holland

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