Condit is coming off of his one-sided thrashing of UFC veteran Martin Kampmann while Woodley saw his stock rise with his impressive knockout of former contender Josh Koscheck. The winner will get a shot to face the future UFC Welterweight champion, which will be decided in the main event.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup that is sure to produce fireworks.
Carlos Condit (29-7)
Affectionately known as “The Natural Born Killer,” few fighters live up to their respective nicknames the way Condit does. His style is a lethal mixture of technical kick boxing, sneaky submissions and unrelenting pace.
Condit is a destroyer of wills.
After losing two fights in a row to arguably the two best welterweights in the division (GSP & Hendricks) Condit got back on track in a revenge bout against the man who spoiled his UFC debut, Martin Kampmann.
It became evident during the bout that Condit’s overall fight IQ has expanded after going through the welterweight gauntlet. His reflexes looked sharper while his movement was less wasted.
In this bout against the hard-hitting, athletic Woodley, Condit must push the pace as often as he can. You can bet the Greg Jackson-created game plan for Condit is to use his length and range to control the exchanges and get his opponent against the fence. Once he gets inside he may look to take a page from the book of Nate Marquardt, who destroyed Woodley in their 2012 Strikeforce bout. Marquardt was able to pressure Woodley onto the fence and proceeded to unleash a devastating array of strikes that left Woodley knocked out.
Tyron Woodley (12-2)
After making a splash with his ultra quick KO of MMA veteran Jay Hieron in his UFC debut, Woodley has been somewhat of a wildcard in a division full of sharks.
Armed with dynamite in each hand, Woodley is a former amateur wrestler and comes from a family of professional athletes (his cousin is former Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley). During Woodley’s impressive run in Strikeforce we saw effective takedowns mixed with good clinch work.
On paper this fight may seem to be a mismatch considering Condit’s wealth of experience, but Woodley has the power to change all of that in an instant. Just ask Josh Koscheck.
Woodley must move forward and look to test his opponent’s chin while searching for a takedown. If there is any weakness in Condit’s game it is his takedown defense. However, Woodley must be cautious due to Condit’s very active guard that includes everything from elbows to submissions. If Woodley can secure position on top look for him to quickly look for openings to land some serious ground and pound.
The Bottom Line
According to Bodog, Condit (-185) is the favorite over Woodley (+150) and you cannot argue with those odds. Condit’s game planning combined with his experience gives him a clear edge in the matchup, but you cannot discount a man that possess the power that Woodley does, especially with those 4oz gloves.
The one thing we can count on is that we’ll feel a building tension during this bout that will have our eyes peeled to the television set.
Zachary Hutton is the lead boxing writer and an MMA contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can see what he’s up to at his band’s website myunclethewolf.com or also subscribe onFacebook.
