UFC Fight Night events don't get much bigger than what is on tap this weekend. Typically saved for a PPV main card, this event features familiar faces up and down the 14-fight bout sheet. On the marquee are a pair of welterweights ready to settle the score on a rivalry over a year in the making when Colby Covington takes on Tyron Woodley.
The bad blood began when Covington originally angled for a shot at Woodley's 170-pound title two years ago. But contract hold ups -- among other things -- kept these two from ever facing off for the title. Now, with both men coming off a loss, Covington and Woodley will meet with bragging rights on the line as well as the potential to get back into the welterweight title picture.
Read on below for a quick look at every fight on the stacked six-bout main card, with a prediction for each clash. Odds provided via William Hill Sportsbook.
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UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley card, predictions
Kevin Holland -260 vs. Darren Stewart +210, middleweights: Holland (18-5) is looking for his second three-fight winning streak in his UFC career. Holland is a finisher, scoring nine knockouts and six submissions in his 18 career victories. While he has never been knocked out, Holland has been submitted twice in his career. The potential hole in his ground game should not be a concern against Stewart (12-5), who has just one career submission finish, though that submission victory came over Maki Pitolo in his most recent fight. Stewart started his UFC career with three consecutive losses but has since gone 5-1 in the Octagon. That recent UFC record is a bit misleading as Stewart did lose to fellow UFC fighter Bartosz Fabinski in March in a bout that took place at Cage Warriors.
Prediction: Holland is the better, more well-rounded fighter, and his wins over higher-quality opposition show that. Stewart is more prone to stumbles, like the loss to Fabinski earlier this year in a fight where he was favored. Stewart isn't in a no-hope situation here and is more than capable of scoring a finish, but Holland is a solid favorite because he's simply the better fighter. Pick: Holland via unanimous decision
Mackenzie Dern -170 vs. Randa Markos +145, women's strawweights: In her most recent fight, Dern (8-1) rebounded from her first career loss by submitting Hannah Cifers. The jiu-jitsu specialist has scored five career submission victories, but her loss to Amanda Ribas unveiled some big holes in her striking game as she was simply outworked over three rounds while failing to score takedowns. Markos (10-8-1) may only have a slightly above .500 record, but she has only been submitted once in her career. A loss for Markos in the fight would be the first time in her career that she lost back-to-back fights.
Prediction: There's high upset potential in this fight. Ribas laid out the blueprint for beating Dern by forcing her into striking exchanges in between defending takedowns. Dern does have solid power on the feet, so she isn't out of the fight when it's in the striking realm, but it's not her strength. Ahead of the fight, Markos said that she has no intention of engaging in a grappling battle with Dern. Whether she can keep the fight on the feet and out-strike Dern while not getting caught with the return power will determine if Markos can edge out the win. All that said, Markos is not great at consistently imposing her will on opponents, so Dern enters the fight as a favorite. Pick: Dern via second-round submission
Johnny Walker -125 vs. Ryan Spann +105, light heavyweights: It's hard to imagine anyone having a more impressive first three fights in the UFC than Walker (17-5), who scored knockouts in 1:57, 0:15 and 0:36 in those outings. Then the wheels started to fall off. First, Walker was knocked out by Corey Anderson. A decision loss to Nikita Krylov was next, which left Walker in a dangerous spot heading into Saturday. Three straight losses often put a fighter in danger of the UFC sending them packing. Spann (18-5), meanwhile, has been fairly impressive while going 4-0 in the UFC Octagon. His knockout win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was impressive, but his hard-fought split decision win over Sam Alvey was less so.
Prediction: The key to defeating Walker is surviving his early flurries. Walker has brutal power and a willingness to throw hard and often with power shots. Spann's first attempt to get into the UFC came on Dana White's Contender Series, where he was knocked out by Karl Roberson in just 15 seconds. That's an obvious red flag, though Spann was caught by short elbows while trying to set up position for a takedown. If Spann survives the first round, he could grind out a win over a fatigued Walker. That's a big ask, however, and Walker may just be too dangerous. Pick: Walker via first-round TKO
Khamzat Chimaev -440 vs. Gerald Meerschaert +340, middleweights: While Walker's introduction to the UFC was impressive and violent, Chimaev's first two trips to the Octagon have been terrifying in their efficiency. During a 10-day span in July, Chimaev (8-0) beat John Phillips and Rhys McKee. In those victories, Chimaev landed a combined 81 strikes while his opponents combined to land just one strike in return. Meerschaert (31-13) has been upset in recent weeks after UFC president Dana White said the promotion was planning for Chimaev to fight Demian Maia in his next outing, seemingly looking right past the veteran of 11 UFC fights.
Prediction: Meerschaert is a quality fighter, and he's right to feel disrespected by the promotion and his opponent looking ahead to what's next. But feeling disrespected is unlikely to help him deal with what Chimaev brings to the table. Chimaev scores takedowns, dominates position and finishes fights while doing so with ruthless efficiency. It's hard to see that changing against Meerschaert. Pick: Chimaev via second-round TKO
Niko Price -150 vs. Donald Cerrone +125, welterweights: Cerrone (36-15) enters the fight on a four-fight losing skid. He has lost eight of his 12 most recent fights, suffering five TKO losses in that span. While he will likely forever be a fan-favorite, it has felt increasingly likely that the end of Cerrone's career is not far off. Price (14-4) is the kind of fighter Cerrone feasted on earlier in his career. Price has alternated wins and losses over his five most recent fights, and has been knocked out three times during that stretch, so entering as the favorite opposite Cerrone speaks to where "Cowboy" is in 2020.
Prediction: The UFC loves to set up action fights for Cerrone, and that's what this should be. In four out of five UFC wins for Price, he won a Performance of the Night bonus, while Cerrone has won 18 post-fight bonuses of his own. Can Cerrone survive these kinds of all-out battles still? He did manage to go three rounds with Anthony Pettis in his most recent fight, but Price (71% of career wins by knockout) is a different kind of fighter than Pettis (48% of career wins by knockout). Cerrone said he participated in more live sparring for this camp than he has ahead of other recent fights, which could be a difference-maker that brings out a vintage performance. Pick: Cerrone via second-round TKO
Colby Covington -360 vs. Tyron Woodley +280, welterweights: The long-anticipated fight between Woodley (19-5-1) and Covington (15-2) has lost steam over the last two years. That's largely a product of the once-dominant Woodley being soundly defeated by Kamaru Usman -- for the welterweight title -- and Gilbert Burns in his two most recent fights. The complete lack of urgency shown by Woodley in those fights has led to the sense that he is potentially a shot fighter at 38 years old. Covington, meanwhile, has looked fantastic over the past several years, even in defeat in his title challenge against Usman. While both men have decent striking power, it's interesting to note that neither has scored a stoppage via strikes since 2016, that's a six-fight stretch for both men.
Prediction: Unless Woodley is serious about letting his hands go in this fight, it's hard to imagine any outcome other than Covington dominating five rounds of action for a wide decision win. Early in his career, Woodley had a tendency to not let his punches go, but after knocking out Robbie Lawler in the first round to win the welterweight championship, Woodley landed 61, 54, 57 and 57 strikes in his first four title defenses. He then only landed 34 strikes against Usman and 28 against Burns. Usman landed 141 strikes on Woodley and Burns landed 83. With a high-pace, high-volume fighter like Covington, that is a problem. Covington lands 4.17 strikes per minute to Woodley's 2.38, and Woodley's rate over the past two fights is 1.24. This feels like Covington's fight to lose. Pick: Covington via unanimous decision
UFC Fight Night viewing info
Date: Saturday, Sept. 19 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: UFC APEX -- Las Vegas, Nevada
Stream: ESPN+
Who will win Covington vs. Woodley, and how will each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight, all from the incomparable expert who's up more than $19,000 on MMA in the past 19 months and nailed 19 of the last 23 main events.
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