# UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley
**UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley** (also billed UFC Vegas 11, UFC on ESPN+ 36, and UFC Fight Night 178) was a mixed martial arts event held by the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) on September 19, 2020, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, headlined by a welterweight bout between [Colby Covington](https://www.edgepedia.org/colby-covington) and former champion [Tyron Woodley](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyron-woodley).[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212) • [2](https://combatpress.com/2020/09/toe-to-toe-ufc-on-espn-36-preview-and-predictions/) Covington won by fifth-round stoppage, and the card also featured Khamzat Chimaev's 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert and a majority draw between Donald Cerrone and Niko Price.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212) • [3](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/70810-ufc-fight-night)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | September 19, 2020, UFC Apex, Las Vegas; aired on ESPN+[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212) • [2](https://combatpress.com/2020/09/toe-to-toe-ufc-on-espn-36-preview-and-predictions/) |
| Main event | Colby Covington def. Tyron Woodley via TKO (rib injury) at 1:19 of Round 5[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212) • [9](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-vegas-11-covington-vs-woodley-fight-results) |
| Records entering | Covington 15-2 (10-2 UFC); Woodley 19-5-1 (9-4-1 UFC)[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210) |
| Co-main event | Donald Cerrone and Niko Price fought to a majority draw (29-27 Cerrone, two 28-28 cards)[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212) |
| Notable finish | Khamzat Chimaev knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds and earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus[3](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/70810-ufc-fight-night) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4dyH-vOuaw) |
| Card size | 14 bouts[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210) |
## Background
The bout settled a personal feud between two former [American Top Team](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-top-team) stablemates who had traded public insults for years. Both men entered needing a win: Woodley had lost back-to-back fights, including the bout in which he lost his welterweight title, while Covington's only recent loss had come against champion [Kamaru Usman](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamaru-usman) at [UFC 245](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-245).[2](https://combatpress.com/2020/09/toe-to-toe-ufc-on-espn-36-preview-and-predictions/) • [6](https://dailycampus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Daily-Campus-Print-9.18.pdf) ESPN ranked Covington No. 2 in the world at welterweight going in.[7](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/29924655/colby-covington-dominates-tyron-woodley-fifth-round-tko-ufc-fight-night) Covington had also changed training camps, leaving American Top Team for MMA Masters in Miami after what ESPN described as a messy falling-out.[7](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/29924655/colby-covington-dominates-tyron-woodley-fifth-round-tko-ufc-fight-night)
The event took place during the COVID-19 pandemic with no fans in attendance, part of the UFC's run of behind-closed-doors cards that began when the promotion staged a full fight card in an empty arena in Brazil in March 2020.[2](https://combatpress.com/2020/09/toe-to-toe-ufc-on-espn-36-preview-and-predictions/) • [8](https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/ufc-coronavirus)
## Main event
Covington dominated the fight with high-volume striking, a stifling clinch, opportunistic takedowns, and damaging ground-and-pound. In the fourth round he executed a high-crotch takedown and cut Woodley near the right eye with an elbow, drawing heavy bleeding.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212) After Covington secured another takedown early in the fifth round and escaped Woodley's guillotine attempt, Woodley twisted and cried out in pain; the fight ended at 1:19 of Round 5, officially recorded as a TKO due to a rib injury.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212) • [9](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-vegas-11-covington-vs-woodley-fight-results) The UFC's own recap described Covington as having dominated until an injury-induced stoppage finished the bout in the fifth.[9](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-vegas-11-covington-vs-woodley-fight-results)
In his post-fight interview Covington shouted out President Donald Trump, criticized NBA star [LeBron James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lebron-james), and called out Kamaru Usman and [Jorge Masvidal](https://www.edgepedia.org/jorge-masvidal) as potential opponents.[10](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/9/19/21447280/colby-covington-dominates-tyron-woodley-calls-out-kamaru-usman-and-jorge-masvidal-following-win)
## Rest of the card
The co-main event between [Donald Cerrone](https://www.edgepedia.org/donald-cerrone) and [Niko Price](https://www.edgepedia.org/niko-price) ended in a majority draw. Judge Eric Colon scored it 29-27 for Cerrone while Ron McCarthy and Chris Lee turned in matching 28-28 cards; a point deduction against Price for multiple eye pokes in the first round prevented him from taking the win.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212)
[Khamzat Chimaev](https://www.edgepedia.org/khamzat-chimaev), fighting at middleweight, needed 17 seconds to knock out [Gerald Meerschaert](https://www.edgepedia.org/gerald-meerschaert), a finish that drew a $50,000 [Performance](https://www.edgepedia.org/performance) of the Night bonus and wide attention on a card otherwise filled with established names.[3](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/70810-ufc-fight-night) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4dyH-vOuaw)
Other results on the 14-fight card included:[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
- Randy Costa knocked out Journey Newson with a head kick 41 seconds into Round 1, his sixth first-round knockout in six career wins.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
- Darrick Minner submitted T.J. Laramie by guillotine choke 52 seconds into Round 1, his first UFC victory.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
- Jessica-Rose Clark stopped Sarah Alpar by TKO (punch and knee) at 4:21 of Round 3.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
- Mayra Bueno Silva submitted Mara Romero Borella by armbar at 2:29 of Round 1.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
- Andre Ewell took a split decision over Irwin Rivera (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
- Tyson Nam knocked out Jerome Rivera with punches 34 seconds into Round 2.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
## Aftermath
The loss extended Woodley's skid to three fights, a slide ESPN's recap show discussed alongside Chimaev's rapid rise and the Cerrone-Price draw.[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4dyH-vOuaw) For Covington, the win kept him in the welterweight title picture; he did not fight again until a fifth-round TKO win over Woodley's rival was followed by title rematches against Usman, including a close decision loss at [UFC 268](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-268) in November 2021.[11](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/32572043/kamaru-usman-bests-colby-covington-again-close-decision-ufc-268) Sherdog's play-by-play noted this was the last card at the UFC Apex for a stretch, with the promotion moving to [Yas Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/yas-island) in Abu Dhabi for its next pay-per-view.[4](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
## References
1. [Colby Covington Blows Out Reeling Tyron Woodley in UFC Fight Night 178 Headliner, Sherdog (Brian Knapp, Sep 19, 2020)](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Colby-Covington-Blows-Out-Reeling-Tyron-Woodley-in-UFC-Fight-Night-178-Headliner-175212)
2. [Toe-to-Toe: UFC on ESPN+ 36 Preview and Predictions, Combat Press (Sep 15, 2020)](https://combatpress.com/2020/09/toe-to-toe-ufc-on-espn-36-preview-and-predictions/)
3. [UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley, Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/events/70810-ufc-fight-night)
4. [UFC Fight Night 178 'Covington vs. Woodley' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring, Sherdog (Jay Pettry, Sep 19, 2020)](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Fight-Night-178-Covington-vs-Woodley-PlaybyPlay-Results-Round-Scoring-175210)
5. [Colby Covington beats Tyron Woodley by TKO | UFC Fight Night Recap | ESPN MMA, YouTube (Sep 19, 2020)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4dyH-vOuaw)
6. [UFC Covington-Woodley Preview, The Daily Campus (Sep 18, 2020)](https://dailycampus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Daily-Campus-Print-9.18.pdf)
7. [Colby Covington dominates Tyron Woodley by fifth-round TKO at UFC Fight Night, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/29924655/colby-covington-dominates-tyron-woodley-fifth-round-tko-ufc-fight-night)
8. [UFC holds fight night in empty arena during coronavirus outbreak, Axios (Mar 15, 2020)](https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/ufc-coronavirus)
9. [UFC Vegas 11: Covington vs Woodley Fight Results, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-vegas-11-covington-vs-woodley-fight-results)
10. [Colby Covington dominates Tyron Woodley, calls out Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal following win, MMA Fighting (Sep 19, 2020)](https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/9/19/21447280/colby-covington-dominates-tyron-woodley-calls-out-kamaru-usman-and-jorge-masvidal-following-win)
11. [Kamaru Usman bests Colby Covington again in close decision at UFC 268, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/32572043/kamaru-usman-bests-colby-covington-again-close-decision-ufc-268)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › UFC Fight Night events › UFC Fight Night events 2019–2021*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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