UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns Preview

How the Welterweight division stands

The 170lbs division champ Kamaru Usman is in talks to fight Conor McGregor after his fight with the BMF Jorge Masvidal fell through. Throw in Leon Edwards and Colby Covington looking for a rematch and we have a stacked division lined with killers. Former champ Tyron Woodley was scheduled to face Robbie Lawler at UFC Minneapolis last year before a hand injury rendered him unable to fight, and he was scheduled to face Leon Edwards in March before the coronavirus threw all pre-existing plans out the window. Another fight with Colby has also fallen through since then. The sixth-ranked Burns would look to get in the mix by defeating the former champ.

The Chosen One (19 – 4 – 1)

This fight marks Woodley’s return to the octagon since losing the UFC welterweight title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235. After a back and forth with both Leon Edwards and Colby Covington on Twitter and a failed attempt to book a fight with them the former champ is looking to get back to business. Woodley’s debut in the UFC came in 2013 against Jay Hieron and lasted half a minute as he finished his opponent with a flurry of punches. Woodley went 3-2 in his first 5 fights before going on a 7 fight winning streak including his spectacular KO of the then champ Robbie Lawler inside 1 round.

He defended his title twice against the puzzle that is Wonderboy Thompson, went on to dominate Demian Maia, and then stopped the Darren Till hype train. He had made a decent claim that he was on track to be the next welterweight superstar before being dominated and outworked by the champ Usman. Make no mistake, Woodley’s as dangerous as they come. His speed coupled with his explosiveness is the biggest threat he poses. He’s also an NCAA Division 1 wrestler who trains with Ben Askren, has a black belt under Din Thomas and him not to mention, hits like a truck. He will look to make quick work of this fight and stake a claim for a title shot.

Durinho Burns (18 – 3 – 0)

The 33yr old Brazilian was one of the breakthrough stars in 2019. He is 11-3 in the UFC. He’s turned a few heads lately after dispatching the veteran Maia inside a round with a clean left hook and claiming a UD Victory against Gunnar Nelson. Burns made his debut in the UFC in 2014 and has notable wins over Alex Oliveira, Christos Giagos, Alexey Kunchenko. He’s a powerful fighter like Woodley and will look to clinch and take the fight to the ground where he’ll have an advantage given his grappling and BJJ credentials. Burns is known for scoring multiple takedowns during the fight, but Woodley has stopped nearly every takedown that’s come his way until the Usman fight.

This fight will be an interesting one as the Victor will lay a strong claim to a place on the shortlist of potential title challenges once the second half of the year gets underway. Burns and Woodley both are as tough as they come. Both of them hit hard. Woodley will look to exercise his 8-inch reach advantage keep Burns on the outside and land the heavy shots. He’ll look to land his iconic stepback overhand right and finish the fight. Don’t rule out the takedowns of Woodley given his wrestling prowess. Burns on the other hand will want to get Woodley in the clinch and eventually to the ground. Will The Chosen One make another run towards the Welterweight gold or can Burns extend his winning streak to six by earning the biggest victory?

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