UFC London: Covington & RDA Offer To Fight Woodley On 6 Days Notice

The coronavirus has left the sporting world in ruins in the last few days. But while almost all sporting events around the globe have been cancelled, the UFC is doing everything it can to carry on. After initially stating that UFC London would continue as normal, UFC president Dana White yesterday announced that the card will now be relocated, due to the travel restrictions.

Six days out and UFC London doesn’t have a location or venue. The UFC is actively searching for somewhere in the US to hold the card. In the last few hours, it also lost half of its main event. On waking up and hearing the news about UFC London, Leon Edwards took to social media to post the following statement:

“Last night I went to sleep still with some hope that UFC London would continue next week.  I woke up this morning to the news that it won’t be.  We have been working with the UFC on possible solutions to keep the fight alive, but unfortunately with such a short window of time, nothing was viable.  Myself and my team are all fathers, husbands, sons and brothers, and not all of us can leave our families right now.  I wish we could have found a way for the fans, I truly do.
I have been dreaming of headlining a UFC show in my home country since I started this sport.  This cancellation is truly heartbreaking.  I have never worked harder and never been more prepared for the biggest moment in my career.  But I know that the whole world is hurting right now and this is bigger than me, this is bigger than sports.  All I can hope for is  that all of you stay safe and look after each other as we get past this and move forward.
I am humbled by the thousands of messages of support I have received in the hours since the announcement, I truly appreciate you all and feel a lot of love right now.  I look forward to this event being rebooked when it is safe to do so, so Tyron and I can put on the show that you all deserve.
Please take care, we will all get through is.
Rocky”

On hearing the news, Colby Covington said that he would step in on six days notice and fight Tyron Woodley, while tagging the wrong Leon in the post!

“Word on the street is @LeonScott is out. The @ufc and America need a hero. Who wants to see America’s Champ put the #MAGA cape on and beat the fuck out of @twooodley live on @ESPN next week for your entertainment and my own personal pleasure? ????? #KAG2020

“America’s Champ has let the @ufc know he’s available to #KAG and slap the shit out of @twooodley live on @espn for the people! Someone let Tyrone know. That dip shit has me blocked on all platforms because my words “hurt his precious little feelings.” ????? #AmericasChamp #PeoplesChamp #MAGA #KAG2020

Covington and Woodley have history and speaking to Ariel Helwani, ‘The Chosen One’ confirmed that he wants to fight ‘Chaos’.

Before you get too excited however, Woodley has posted several posts and comments online, stating that Covington isn’t really interested in the fight.

“I’m ready to fight! I’m trained to kill. Sorting through the smoke. This bitch above’s a joke. Few options. I’ll keep y’all updated. IM FIGHTING SAT! #MurderMode

View this post on Instagram

Make the fight people want!

A post shared by Tyron Woodley (@twooodley) on

Although, in the last hour, Helwani has tweeted that he has spoken to Covington, who confirmed that he wants to fight Woodley this weekend.

Should Woodley and Covington fight, it would unquestionably do good numbers. Not only are they two of the best welterweights on the planet and hate each other, it could very well be the only sporting event going ahead next weekend.

If however, the fight doesn’t come together, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has also offered to step in on six days notice to fight Woodley.

And before Edwards had even withdrawn, Gilbert Burns, who only fought this past weekend against Demian Maia at UFC Brasilia, offered to step in and save the card.

And literally in the last couple of minutes, dos Anjos and Burns have posted the following tweets:

Obviously there are other factors. Currently, less than a week away from the card, the event doesn’t have a home. It also doesn’t currently have an undercard. The UFC is actively looking to put a new undercard together at the moment. And there is still a chance that the government will put the whole of the US on lockdown, as the coronavirus situation continues to worsen.

As this story continues to unfold, we will keep updating this post with the latest social media posts and information available.


UPDATE:

In the last few minutes, Covington has posted this video, as he continues to push for a fight with Woodley.


LATEST UPDATE:

Dana White has now announced that UFC London has now been cancelled. You can read more on this here.


FINAL UPDATE:

After the news that UFC London had been completely scrapped, Tyron Woodley took to Instagram to said that he’s only interested in facing one man in his next fight – Colby Covington.

As you can imagine, these comments didn’t sit well with Leon Edwards.

Meanwhile, talking to MMA Fighting, Covington said he was ‘heartbroken’ to not be fighting Woodley this weekend now.

”Both sides were agreeing. Tyron Woodley’s never accepted a fight with me. For the first time ever, he’s finally agreed to fight me, and it was about to happen for the people, and all of a sudden, the plug got pulled, and they couldn’t find anywhere to do the fight.

”I was excited to shock the world. I’ve been keeping my business on the low, but I was ready to pounce. It sucks that that opportunity is getting taken away from me. I’m heartbroken.”


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