Woodley Vs Edwards Odds
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a jam-packed schedule and this Saturday we are getting what should be a very entertaining title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. Here’s a complete preview, including updated UFC odds and our betting pick.
UFC - UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad - UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (14) B. Win 3/13/21 12:00 PM + 1 Bets 3/13/21 12:00 PM. UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards was a planned mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship originally planned to take place on March 21, 2020, at The O2 Arena in London, England. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed (see section below). Anthony Edwards with a dunk vs the Toronto Raptors February 14, 2021, 6:56 p.m. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) with a dunk vs the Toronto Raptors.
Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns
UFC welterweight championship fight
Saturday, February 13, 2021 – 10:00 PM EDT at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas
In the main event of the evening, Kamaru Usman defends his UFC welterweight title against Gilbert Burns. UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A limited number of fans will be in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With plenty of betting lines and markets currently available, let’s attempt to find some value for our UFC picks on Saturday’s main event.
Kamaru Usman
Introduction, Background and UFC Career
Kamaru Usman was born in Auchi Nigeria and his family moved to the United States when he was five years old. He started wrestling at Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas and was a three-time NCAA All-American and the NCAA Division II National Champion in 2010.
Tyron Woodley Vs Leon Edwards Odds
“The Nigeran Nightmare” made his professional MMA debut in 2012 and won The Ultimate Fighter 21, submitting Hayder Hassan in the second round on July 12th, 2015. Usman is a physical force that has dominated everyone he’s faced. He won his first nine fights in the UFC before beating Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title via unanimous decision at UFC 235 on March 2nd, 2019.
Usman’s current 12-fight win streak saw him go from an unknown to one of the most dominant champions in the promotion. Usman has not lost many rounds in his career but his rise wasn’t easy. This is a special fighter that has wins against Sean Strickland, Sergio Moraes, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos, Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington. In his last fight, he beat Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision to retain his UFC welterweight title at UFC 251 on July 11th.
- Born: May 11th, 1987
- Age: 33
- Country: United States
- Height: 6’0″
- Weight: 155 lbs
- Reach: 76″
- Stance: Switch
- Association: Hard Knocks 365
- Class: Welterweight
- Record: 17-1
Stats
Octagon Strengths
- Physical strength
- Dangerous striker
- Excellent wrestler and boxer
- Solid takedown defense
Octagon Weaknesses
- Tends to rush things, may eat extra counter shots
Gilbert Burns
Introduction, Background and UFC Career
Gilbert Burns is one of the fastest rising welterweights in MMA and now he can dethrone his former sparring partner to win the UFC welterweight title. Burns had no problem calling out Usman after his impressive unanimous decision victory against former champion Tyron Woodley at UFC on ESPN 9 on May 30th. On top of that showing, Burns being the only fighter to ever knock out the legendary Demian Maia meant that it was only a matter of time before he would get a title opportunity.
Born and raised in Brazil, 'Durinho' was encouraged to purse competitive sports by his dad, who received three months of Jiu-Jitsu lessons as payment for fixing a customer's car. Burns has a Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Rafael 'Fofitio' and is regarded as one of the top grappling competitors of his generation. He held that status before switching his career focus to mixed martial arts, a transition that occurred after winning the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World title in 2011.
- Born: July 20th, 1986
- Age: 34
- Country: Brazil
- Height: 5’10″
- Weight: 170 lbs
- Reach: 71″
- Stance: Orthodox
- Association: Hard Knocks 365
- Class: Welterweight
- Record: 19-3
Stats
Tyron Woodley Vs Edwards Odds
Octagon Strengths
- Kickboxing ability
- His five-round war with Paul Felder prepared him for Poirier
- Reach advantage
Octagon Weaknesses
- Trouble dealing with boxers
Prediction
The third time is the charm. This fight was supposed to take place at UFC 251 and then UFC 256 it fell apart both times. Burns posses a considerable threat to Usman. “
“He was a good training partner for me and I was good partner for him. Just sparring sessions, over 200. And just the grappling sessions, plus the wrestling sessions, for sure I have so many hours on the mat with Kamaru. We know each other very well.”
Look for Burns to come out eager to end the fight early with an early submission or technical knockout, which is easier said than done against someone like Usman. Usman's offensive grappling has overcome many welterweight challengers and that game plan shouldn't change. There are too many variables to consider. It will be an even fight and Burns knows how to beat Usman. The question is, can he successfully put that knowledge into practice? I can see this fight going the distance, so I will take a chance on the Over.
My Pick:Over 4.5 rounds (-140) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.
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UFC London is just around the corner and with a potential number one contender fight for the Welterweight title at grabs, what a show it should be! UFC Odds are already listed for the event, here’s a complete betting guide previewing Leon Edwards and Tyron Woodley, including updated odds and our betting prediction.
Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards
UFC Welterweight Bout
Saturday, March 21, 2020 – 07:02 PM EDT
Opening Line: Leon Edwards -145 at 5Dimes
The UFC is back in the capital of England. On March 21st, 2020, one welterweight fighter could leave as the number one contender; let’s take a closer look at the main event in this week’s edition of ‘First Look’.
Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (18-3-0)
The 28-year-old UFC welterweight Leon Edwards has been a rising prospect for the previous six years and this coming weekend will have his chance to prove himself against a former titleholder in Tyron Woodley.
Hailing from Birmingham, England (20 minutes from my City), Edwards would seem to have the English support in his favor, as of the 13th of March 2020, the UFC has announced the UFC London to go ahead with a live attending audience through the current COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, these details could change overnight but we’ll take into consideration that as of now, Edwards will have the crowd’s support.
It was a surprise that Woodley would take on a fight in England, with so much at risk in comparison to Edwards. Edwards is riding an 8-fight win streak in the UFC welterweight division, which is an accomplishment in itself. He’s defeated the likes of Rafael Dos Anjos, Gunnar Nelson, and Donald Cerrone & Vicente Luque.
Edwards, the former British MMA promotion BAMMA’s former Welterweight champion, will be right in the title contention talks if he were able to take-out Tyron Woodley. Although he’s fought some experienced talent, he’ll need to bring his A-game in London.
Edwards must feel untouchable right now, the momentum is swinging his way and an 8-fight win streak isn’t too shabby either. Perhaps we’ll see the first British welterweight champion sooner than we expected as Edwards continues to prove his doubters wrong in each matchup.
Leon Edwards Best Priced -120 with 5Dimes
Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley (28-8-0)
The former Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley surprised fans when he accepted this bout with Leon Edwards, especially in Edwards’s back yard and notably on quite a run. Only one man has it all to lose, as Edwards is still young and rising. Edwards also holds a certain unknown to his name, his placid personality and “boring” decision fights haven’t quite grabbed the same attention as his peers, Woodley is for sure putting more on the line in London.
Born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri, ‘The Chosen One’ would find martial arts quite naturally as he was destined for combat sports boasting his NCAA division 1 wrestling title. The two-time all American has brought elite-level wrestling offense to the UFC octagon since 2013 after dominating the Strikeforce circuit for many years prior.
During his come-up, Woodley earned himself a UFC welterweight title shot in 2016 against Robbie Lawler. An instant classic was put on display; Woodley became champion with a vicious knockout early in the fight. His title reign would survive three years! Stephen Thompson (x2), Demian Maia and Darren Till all failed at challenging Woodley for the strap.
The former champion lost his title to Kamaru Usman, where he just didn’t seem to open up. The version of Woodley we saw against Lawler was a different animal. With time off and time to mentally heal I think Woodley remains as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division.
Tyron Woodley Best Priced +130 with BetOnline
UFC Fight Night 171: Woodley vs. Edwards Prediction & Betting Pick
The main event presents us with such an intriguing contest but also confusing, Woodley didn’t have to take a fight with a guy so far below him in the rankings, if Edwards loses to the former champion it won’t affect/tarnish his career what so ever.
How can Edwards win the fight?
Edwards should be studying the blueprint of Kamaru Usman (who defeated Woodley), keep Woodley pressured against the fence and keep the strike count high. Draining Woodley’s cardio by not allowing him to dictate the pace will be important for Edwards, and with the history of English judges making decisions at English events, a well-fought 25 minutes for Edwards might be all he needs to get the win.
Get inside the range and back out as fast as possible, Edwards will hold a significant speed advantage which he should be looking to take advantage of. Defending Woodley’s wrestling offense with some clinch work might be his best choice, Edwards has some dangerous dirty boxing, inside elbows and strikes when on the break from a clinch.
So long as Edwards can keep Woodley working and his striking output high, he should be able to secure a close decision victory.
How can Woodley win the fight?
Woodley will need to fight this fight at his range, finding his distance as soon as possible will be imperative in avoiding the kickboxing game of Edwards. More importantly, Woodley’s wrestling will be his biggest strength.
Woodley is a former NCAA Div 1 wrestling champion, Edwards hasn’t been scared of initiating a grappling exchange in a lot of his fights which would be his downfall to replicate the same strategy against Woodley.
Woodley should make this a wrestling match until he finds himself in a dominant top position and able to land some ground and pound strikes.
Who will win the fight?
An amazing fight we’re working with, but also incredibly difficult to pick a winner. Edwards will have the age, height/reach advantage and potentially a home crowd behind him. On the other side, Woodley is the former champion and should have fight IQ light-years ahead of Edwards.
I’ll probably continue to change my mind throughout the week, so take it with a pinch of salt. But right now, I think Tyron Woodley can defeat Edwards by decision if he doesn’t end it on the ground. There’s a potential risk as I do think the fight will be close, and English judges could have something to say, so either way, keep your stakes sensible for this amazing main event matchup.
UFC London Betting Pick: Tyron Woodley +130 with BetOnline
UFC London fight card
- Welterweight: Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards
- Middleweight: Darren Stewart vs. Marvin Vettori
- Light Heavyweight: Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann
- Featherweight: Gabriel Benítez vs. Lerone Murphy
- Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall vs. Raphael Pessoa Nunes
- Middleweight: John Phillips vs. Dusko Todorovic
- Women’s Flyweight: Molly McCann vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
- Welterweight: Nicolas Dalby vs. Danny Roberts
- Lightweight: Stevie Ray vs. Marc Diakiese
- Featherweight: Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani
*Fight card, bout order and the number of matches subject to change.