Colby Covington defeats Tyron Woodley by TKO on UFC card

Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley screamed in pain as he tried to tighten his grip on Colby Covington’s neck in a final attempt to avoid his third straight loss.

Woodley’s rib injury brought an anticlimactic end to what seemed like a foregone conclusion, as Covington was awarded a technical knockout victory in the main event of UFC Fight Night 178 on Saturday at the UFC’s Apex facility.

Covington had won the first four rounds and appeared to be coasting to a win when the fight was stopped at 1:19 of the fifth and final round.

“If you thought that was a beating, wait until Nov. 3 when Donald Trump gets his hands on ‘Sleepy Joe (Biden),’” said Covington, who wore a “Keep America Great” hat throughout fight week. “That’s going to be a landslide.”

The outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, who was watching the fight and called Covington after the victory, according to UFC president Dana White, attended the rally for the president in Henderson this past week. Covington dedicated his win to the military and first responders.

“This world would not be safe without you guys, not these woke athletes,” he said. “I’m sick of these woke athletes and spineless cowards like LeBron James.”

The defeat was the third straight for Woodley, who hadn’t lost since 2014 when he dropped his title to Kamaru Usman in March 2019.

Covington used his win to lobby for another shot at Usman, who retained the belt against Covington in December.

“Marty Fake-Newsman,” Covington screamed. “You’re next.”

Breakout star Khamzat Chimaev dropped and finished Gerald Meerschaert with his first punch 17 seconds into their middleweight bout.

Chimaev has three stoppage wins since entering the UFC on July 16.

“If you win and fight like that, everybody loves you,” he said. “I’ve got to keep going and smash people. I never have pressure before the fights. I’ve done this all my life. Now I am just a professional.”

Chimaev has absorbed only two total strikes in his three wins, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Jiu-jitsu star Mackenzie Dern needed 3:44 to submit Randa Markos in a women’s strawweight bout. She improved to 4-1 in the UFC with three submission victories.

“I started jiu-jitsu when I was 3 years old, so these girls are going to have to do a lot of jiu-jitsu to get to the same level,” Dern said.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.