A long-awaited showdown between former teammates Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley was in process for the UFC event on August 22, according to Covington, but the fight will no longer happen.
Covington released a copy of a bout deal for the bout Wednesday and said the former UFC champion finally pulled out of the event.
“This was supposed to be your main event on August 22 on ESPN until Tyrone did what his dad should have done and retired … AGAIN!” Covington wrote on Instagram.
After its initial publication, Covington issued a statement to MMA Fighting about the failure of the confrontation again.
“The other night he was furious at a fat schoolmaster playing relay races on NBC, and I think people close to him finally had a meeting with Jesus about the suicidal tendencies he exhibits by wanting to sign a contract with my name on it. another extreme, “said Woodley’s Covington.” It’s a death sentence and he knows it, everyone knows it. “
The “relay races” mentioned by Covington are Woodley’s recent appearance in the reality competition series. Titan Games presented by actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
MMA Fighting contacted Woodley’s management team for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
When it comes to the fight, Covington and Woodley have been involved in a heated rivalry for several years. But despite the bad blood between them, they have never faced each other inside the octagon.
It looked like the matchup would happen in 2018 after Covington captured the interim welterweight title while Woodley remained the current 170-pound champion. Unfortunately, Covington underwent sinus surgery after a major victory over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, and was unable to make a quick lap to fight again in September.
Woodley defeated Darren Till, then suffered a thumb injury that kept him from competing again for the rest of the year.
Woodley eventually lost his title to Kamaru Usman in 2019, and Covington finally returned to action later that year when he claimed a win over former champion Robbie Lawler.
It looks like Covington and Woodley were meant to meet, but the fight has never come together. In March, Covington offered to step in when Leon Edwards was banned from UFC London when the promotion attempted to move the card to the US due to the coronavirus pandemic. Woodley then invited Covington to fight a month later at UFC 249 and promised to cancel it permanently without a deal.
Under the most recent contract, the UFC attempted to reserve the fight as the main event for the Aug. 22 card slated for the APEX facility in Las Vegas. But once again, the rivals will not meet.
