UFC230 is set to go down at Madison Square Garden on November 3, and the card is shaping up to be pretty stacked except for the fact that there is no main event.
This could all change however with the news that Welterweight king Tyron Woodley has said he is down to defend his belt against Colby Covington in New York… if doctors allow it.
Speaking to MMAjunkie Radio, Woodley claimed, “I’ve got an MRI on my thumb and I’m sending it for a second opinion,”
“If I’m good, then I have no issue with fighting in November. The more I fight, the better rhythm I get in the swing of things. Obviously, I just fought, so I’m still in phenomenal shape. I’ve been eating pancakes, shrimp fried rice, brownies – taking a week and eating some bullcrap.”
“… It all depends on how severe my thumb injury is. I dislocated it in the first round punching him in the back of the head. I thought it was just jammed.”
A match-up between Woodley and Covington has long been touted as the biggest fight in the welterweight division after Covington won the interim belt and was seen as the next in line to challenge long-reigning champ Woodley.
However, nasal surgery ruled the Florida based fighter out of a potential showdown at UFC228 and he was replaced by Darren Till, who Woodley went on to defeat comprehensively.
November’s card now looks like the perfect setting to make the highly anticipated fight happen. However, Woodley believes if the two meet, it would not end well for Covington.
“Think about it: I was going to fight Nate Diaz with a torn labrum,” Woodley said. “He’s not going to try to wrestle me. The only thing he does better than me is dress horribly and wear terrible hats. Outside of that, that’s it. That’s his only advantage – and having extremely corny trash talk.”
If the fight does go ahead it will be the second time that “The Chosen One” has fought at MSG. His previous fight at the iconic venue was at UFC205 when he fought Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to a majority draw.
He revealed his desire to fight there once more, whilst also getting another dig in at Covington in the process.
“I would love to fight in Madison Square Garden again,” he said. “Not to sound arrogant, but would never take a fight against Darren Till if not 100 percent confident in both my hands. So I think I could beat (Covington) even if my hand’s a little jacked up.”
A rivalry between the pair has been brewing for months now, and Woodley (who has struggled to endear himself to the MMA public) will most likely be the crowd favourite due to Covington’s incessant trash-talking.
The only logical step now is to get them into the Octagon and sort their differences, and what an occasion and venue it would be to settle the score once and for all.
