Before Jon Jones attempts to halt Anthony Smith’s momentum Saturday at UFC 235, Tyron Woodley will aim to defend his welterweight title for a fourth consecutive time in the night’s co-main event.
Woodley is unbeaten in nearly five years and looking to hand Kamaru Usman his first loss in the Octagon.
The reigning titleholder re-established his dominance atop the 170-pound division with a one-sided beatdown of Darren Till in September at UFC 228 following a 13-month layoff.
Meanwhile, Usman (14-1) has been on a hot streak since winning The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians welterweight tournament in 2015. He’s 9-0 in the UFC and was granted a title shot after back-to-back five-round unanimous decision wins over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Santos and two-time title UFC challenger Demian Maia.
Woodley (19–3–1) has been preparing for Usman with the help of longtime training partner Ben Askren, who will make his UFC debut Saturday against former champ Robbie Lawler.
“He really understands everything about fighting,” Askren said of Woodley’s skill set on the latest episode of the UFC’s popular Countdown series. “Tyron’s been intelligent enough to figure out what he does well and how it’s going to work against different styles.”
As you’ll see in the video below, Usman thinks he has the style and determination to fell the champ. Spoiler alert: Woodley disagrees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rYh8EyOdOQ
UFC 235 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Here’s a look at the complete fight card.
MAIN CARD
— Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith (for light-heavyweight title)
— Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman (for welterweight title)
— Robbie Lawler vs. Ben Askren
— Tecia Torres vs. Weili Zhang
— Cody Garbrandt vs. Pedro Munhoz
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Jeremy Stephens vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov
— Misha Cirkunov vs. Johnny Walker
— Cody Stamann vs. Alejandro Perez
— Diego Sanchez vs. Mickey Gall
— Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Charles Byrd
— Gina Mazany vs. Macy Chiasson
— Marlon Vera vs. Frankie Saenz
— Polyana Viana vs. Hannah Cifers
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