Odds Favor Leon Edwards Being Colby Covington’s Next Opponent After Beating Woodley
- Colby Covington is coming off a fifth-round TKO win over Tyron Woodley
- Covington called for a rematch with Usman or a fight with Masvidal next
- See the odds and best bets on Covington’s next opponent
Colby Covington returned to the win column in the main event at UFC Vegas 11, dominating Tyron Woodley to finally settle their beef.
In the lead up to the fight, Covington made it clear he wanted to be the first person to finish Woodley inside the Octagon, which is exactly what he did. Although the fight was stopped in the fifth due to Woodley hurting his rib, Covington was close to finishing the fight in the fourth and won every single round of the fight.
Following the win, oddsmakers opened a prop on who Covington will fight next with Leon Edwards as the betting favorite.
Odds on Colby Covington’s Next Opponent
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Leon Edwards | +300 |
| Jorge Masvidal | +350 |
| Kamaru Usman | +450 |
| Gilbert Burns | +500 |
| Nick Diaz | +750 |
| Stephen Thompson | +900 |
| Conor McGregor | +1500 |
Odds as of Sept. 21.
Who Does Covington Want?
Colby Covington said there are only two fights that interest him: a rematch against Kamaru Usman or a friend-turned-enemies fight against Jorge Masvidal. Both fights make sense for their own reasons.
If Covington had his way, he would get a title shot against Usman and, if he wins, make his first title defense against Masvidal. Yet, Usman is booked to defend his belt in December against Gilbert Burns, and it is uncertain if Covington will be willing to wait until next summer to fight again.
Usman? Masvidal?
Who's next for @ColbyCovMMA? 🇺🇸 #UFCVegas11 pic.twitter.com/9eyoPq4wKe
— UFC (@ufc) September 20, 2020
Ultimately, Masvidal at +350 is the best bet for Covington’s next fight. Covington won’t want to sit out that long, and Dana White even said Masvidal-Diaz 2 has not been booked. It would be easy to have “Chaos” slide in to fight Masvidal in what would be one of the biggest fights of 2021.
Pick: Jorge Masvidal (+350)
What’s the Easiest Matchup for Covington?
There is no question, Nick Diaz is by far the easiest matchup for Covington.
Diaz has always struggled against wrestlers and Covington might be the best wrestler in the welterweight division. Diaz has also not fought since 2015 so he likely won’t even look as good as he did last time out.
It would be an easy win for Covington who would take the elder Diaz brother down at will and coast to a decision win, if not score a ground-and-pound TKO.
What’s the Hardest Matchup?
Usman is the hardest matchup for Covington and it showed in the first fight.
Usman and Covington have proven they are the best welterweights in the UFC. In the first fight, the scorecards were even heading into the fifth and final round when Usman eventually scored a TKO win. To many, the stoppage was premature.
The welterweight champion and Covington are incredibly similar: they are both wrestlers who use volume striking and insane cardio to break down opponents.
In the first fight, Usman had more power behind his punches but Covington did rock the champ a couple of times. If they were to fight ten times, it wouldn’t be surprising if they went 5-5.
Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.
