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Pressed for a prediction for their fight on Saturday, Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley both responded that they won’t be happy unless the other is unable to leave the Octagon without medical assistance. Such language has become the norm for these heated rivals, but they will settle their beef in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley in Las Vegas. The long-awaited matchup tops the docket from the promotion’s Apex facility, with the main UFC Fight Night card set for 8 p.m. ET.
The former training partners have engaged in a contemptuous verbal war for years, but now the second-ranked Covington and fifth-ranked Woodley get the opportunity to see who can back up their words. Covington is a -340 favorite (risk $340 to win $100), while Woodley is a +280 underdog in the latest UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley odds from William Hill. In the co-main event, rising contender Niko Price (-155) faces veteran Donald « Cowboy » Cerrone (+135) in another welterweight matchup. Before making any UFC Fight Night picks, make sure you see what SportsLine MMA analyst Kyle Marley has to say, considering the epic run he’s on.
Marley won the first-ever « ToutMaster » UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every single UFC card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past 19 months, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up more than $19,000. The accomplished MMA analyst has been on a rock-solid run in 2020 as he has connected on 19 of his last 23 main-event selections, a stretch that includes a streak of five straight underdogs.
At UFC Fight Night on Saturday, Marley accurately predicted a split-decision win for Michelle Waterson (+110) against Angela Hill in the strawweight main event. He reasoned that Waterson’s edge on the ground would be the difference, and was proven correct when her takedowns were a key factor in the razor-thin margin of victory. Anyone who has consistently followed Marley is way up.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every fight. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.
Covington (15-2), 32, was the top-rated contender when Usman became champion and stood toe-to-toe with the champ for four-plus rounds. He was wobbled and stopped at 4:10 of the final round, later protesting against what he viewed as biased officiating. The loss snapped a seven-fight win streak, and Gilbert Burns has since ascended to the top contender spot.
Woodley (19-5-1) was on the short end of a lopsided decision against the nonstop, grappling-based attack of Usman in perhaps the worst performance of his career. However, his May loss to Burns essentially looked like a replay, leading many observers wondering whether the 38-year-old veteran of many Octagon battles is in the twilight of his career.
Covington presents the same problematic style of Woodley’s last two opponents. Even so, Woodley’s punching power and motivation against his rival could be considered equalizing factors. You can see Marley’s coveted Covington vs. Woodley picks here.
We’ll share one of Marley’s UFC Fight Night selections here: He is backing Mackenzie Dern (-170) to notch a submission victory against Randa Markos (+150) in a clash of women’s strawweight contenders.
Dern (8-1), 27, joined the UFC with plenty of acclaim because of an accomplished grappling career that still sees her ranked highly in many of the sport’s promotions. The Phoenix native is 3-1 in four UFC appearances and cracked the UFC rankings at No. 15 following her first-round submission of Hannah Cifers in May.
Markos (10-8-1) is a six-year UFC veteran whose resume includes wins over contenders like Angela Hill and Carla Esparza. The 35-year-old Canadian has split her past four bouts and is hoping to bounce back from a decision loss against rising star Amanda Ribas in March.
« Dern is going to have the edge over almost anyone in grappling, » Marley told SportsLine. « If she can get the fight to the mat, she can finish almost any opponent. She should have a big edge against Markos. »
Marley also has strong picks for Covington vs. Woodley and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night card. He is also backing a fighter who « will have a major edge on the ground. » Those selections are only available here.
Who wins Woodley vs. Covington? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley, all from the incomparable expert who’s up over $19,000 on MMA in the past 19 months and nailed 19 of the last 23 main events, and find out.
Colby Covington (-340) vs. Tyron Woodley (+280)Niko Price (-155) vs. Donald Cerrone (+135)Khamzat Chimaev (-500) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+400)Johnny Walker (-125) vs. Ryan Spann (+105)Mackenzie Dern (-170) vs. Randa Markos (+150)Kevin Holland (-240) vs. Darren Stewart (+200)Mirsad Bektic (-450) vs. Luiz Garagorri (+375)Mayra Bueno Silva (-240) vs. Maria Romero Borella (+200)Jordan Espinosa (-110) vs. David Dvorak (-110)Jessica Rose-Clark (-200) vs. Sarah Alpar (+180)Journey Newson (-140) vs. Randy Costa (+120)Andre Ewell (-190) vs. Irwin Rivera (+170)T.J. Laramie (-260) vs. Darrick Minner (+220)
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