UFC: Tyron Woodley responds to Colby Covington’s short-notice fight offer – ‘this would be the biggest delight’

Welterweight contender Woodley confirms he will be on relocated UFC Fight Night 171 card despite main event pull-out

Woodley says Covington is ‘number one choice’ and claims other fighters like McGregor and Usman are staying away

Reading Time:2 minutes

Tyron Woodley celebrates after defeating Demian Maia in a welterweight title defence at UFC 214 in 2017. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 16 Mar 2020Updated: 6:00pm, 16 Mar 2020

Former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has responded to Colby Covington’s offer to step in at short notice to save UFC Fight Night 171’s headline event.

Woodley (19-4-1) was booked to fight Briton Leon Edwards (18-3) in London on March 22. UFC president Dana White has since said the event will be held at an as yet undetermined location due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, while Edwards pulled out having been unable to reach an agreement on relocation.

In response to Covington’s (15-2) three-part call-out on Instagram, Woodley insisted he had been after former teammate Covington prior to signing the Edwards bout.

“Colby Covington is my number one choice. My number one choice, if I would fight him, Lord there is a heaven above. When they try make things for evil you make things my good,” he said in a video on Instagram.

“This would be the biggest delight. That’s the fight that made the most sense anyway. That’s the fight that I was supposed to get before Leon Edwards and they said he couldn’t fight because of his jaw.