UFC 225 Fight Preview | Rafael Dos Anjos vs Colby Covington
by Hollywood Joe Tussing/Rob Schwartz
In a stacked UFC 225 card this weekend from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois the UFC gives us title fights in 2 weight classes. The Main Event between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero will be preceded by an interim title fight between 2 welterweights Rafael Dos Anjos and Colby Covington. Former Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos will get his chance at joining the short list of UFC fighters to hold gold in two different weight classes, as he takes on Colby Covington for the UFC’s Interim Welterweight Championship.
Odds Courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook:
Rafael Dos Anjos -120
Colby Covington-110
Rafael Dos Anjos -120
Rafael Dos Anjos is 28-9 and a slight favorite at -120. He looks renewed in his quest for another UFC Title, and is riding a 3 fight win streak since losing to Tony Ferguson. Rafael Dos Anjos is now ranked #2 at 170lbs, making the move up to welterweight. With a quick submission win over Neil Magny by arm triangle at UFC 215 and a dominant 5 round decision win over former champion Robbie Lawler at UFC Fight Night Winnipeg, Rafael Dos Anjos propelled himself to the top of the welterweight division and next in line for a shot at Tyron Woodley. But The Champ was more interested in a “Money Fight” with the lightweight fighter Nate Diaz. Tyron then had surgery on his shoulder, so the UFC decided to keep the division moving giving us the #2 vs #3 for an Interim Title. The introduction of an Interim Title seems to have miraculously healed Tyron Woodley’s shoulder and The Champion has recently told Ariel Helwani his shoulder is good to go and he is looking to defend his title on August 4th at the Staples center in Los Angeles.
Spoke to UFC welterweight champion @TWooodley earlier today. He said his surgically-repaired shoulder has fully healed, and he’s hoping to fight on the Aug. 4 UFC 227 card in Los Angeles. Nothing finalized yet.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 23, 2018
With a win this weekend over Colby Covington and a quick turnaround Rafael Dos Anjos may get the chance to unify the welterweight belt and become a true two division champion.
Colby Covington-110
Colby “Chaos Covington is 13-1 and will enter the cage at -110 saturday night, riding a 5 fight win streak inside the octagon and quickly becoming one of the most disliked fighters on the UFC roster. Playing the proverbial heel, Colby Covington has tried his hand at smack talk somewhat styled after Conor McGregor but not nearly as witty. From calling the Brazilian fans “animals” to his twitter beef with Kamaru Usman and the 80’s throwback of calling everyone nerds, Colby Covington seems to have talked his way into an Interim Title fight with Rafael Dos Anjos. This comes after a somewhat lackluster win over perennial gatekeeper Demian Maia. In his last fight, Colby Covington showed his ability to stop the takedowns of a high level grappler but he also absorbed a lot of punches from Maia who isn’t exactly known for his effective striking. If Covington shows those same holes in his stand up against the former lightweight champion, it may be lights out for “Chaos” on June 9th.
Picks & Predictions: Rafael Dos Anjos -120
Rafael Dos Anjos is a Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu much like Demian Maia but has very good striking and underrated power in his hands, something that Maia has always lacked. In a fight with Colby Covington, I expect Rafael Dos Anjos to attack the front leg of the two time All-American Wrestler with low kicks in an attempt to slow his takedowns. If Dos Anjos is able to damage the front leg of Covington he will have a real advantage going into the later rounds, which is where I see Dos Anjos pulling away and finishing the show. I am looking for a 4th round TKO for Rafael Dos Anjos hopefully stopping the BS propelled hype train that is Colby Covington.
