Tyron Woodley’s Coach: ‘Everything Colby Covington Does is Very Slow’

Tyron Woodley’s coach believes that Colby Covington is simply slow inside the Octagon.

It’s clear that the UFC wants to book Woodley vs. Covington as soon as possible. While UFC 230 looked to be a possibility, “The Chosen One” has to get surgery on his right hand. Woodley will be out of action for eight to 12 weeks.

Woodley’s coach Din Thomas recently appeared on MMA Junkie Radio. He said that while Covington is a grinder, he will be at a speed disadvantage if he challenges Woodley for the UFC welterweight title:

“Colby is just slow. He can grind, and it’s part of the reason he can grind, because he’s not an explosive athlete. When you get guys that are really explosive, it takes a lot more energy to do it. But Colby, he’s slow on his feet. Everything he does is very slow, so you can exploit opportunities on him because he is so slow.”

Covington initially earned a title unification bout at UFC 228. He did so by defeating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 to capture the interim welterweight title. “Chaos” was unable to compete on the card as he had to undergo nasal surgery. Darren Till served as Woodley’s challenger and he was submitted in the second round.

When Woodley defends his 170-pound title, it’ll be his fifth title defense. The welterweight champion has gone 6-0-1 in his last seven outings. He hasn’t lost a fight since June 2014. Covington is riding a six-fight winning streak and hasn’t been defeated since Dec. 2015.