Must-See Fights of the Week

Tyron Woodley vs. Nathan Coy
Strikeforce “Challengers 8,” May 21, Portland, Ore.

“The Ultimate Fighter” works best when producers strike a fine balance between the sociopathic antics of pseudo-fighters and the ongoing evolution of legitimate prospects. Every time Woodley fights for Strikeforce, it looks more and more like the selection committee for Season 9 of the Spike TV reality series sacrificed the latter for the former when it passed on him. With an undefeated record and talk of an inevitable bout with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz growing louder with every win, Woodley takes a step towards the deep end of the shark tank against Coy.

An unheralded and relatively unknown prospect out of Team Quest’s Portland, Ore., gym, it takes only a furtive glance at Coy’s past fights to realize he did not take this bout to become fodder for Woodley’s title run. Despite his slight build, Coy is a talented wrestler who excels at using the front headlock to control opponents and uses his natural leverage with great aplomb inside the clinch. This makes for an interesting style clash with Woodley, who uses the double-leg and knee tap to execute gravity-insulting takedowns.

However, the reason Woodley’s wrestling should be favored has nothing to do with technique and everything to do with how he sets up his takedowns. While Coy often throws sloppy, lunging punches to collapse the pocket, Woodley maintains a tight defensive posture and uses one-two combinations and leg kicks to set up his level changes. Coy has the advantage of being a southpaw, but he often leaves himself exposed by making elementary mistakes, from moving straight back and leaving his hands low to leading with his head instead of his legs.

Given the fight-to-fight improvements Woodley has made in his striking, the right cross he used to drop Zach Light will be the punch to watch, given Coy’s defensive liabilities. Even with that obvious advantage on the feet, this will be the first time Woodley fights someone with a realistic chance of not only stuffing his takedowns but forcing him onto his back. That’s where Coy’s game gets nasty like Nas, as he uses his reach beautifully to stand up in guard and drop punches, all while looking for chances to cut the corner and pass guard.

Unlike so many rangy fighters, Coy knows how to use his length in dominant positions, from landing knees to the body in side control to showing surprising balance in mount while throwing punches from unusual angles. Even if Coy gets those opportunities, he lacks Woodley’s urgency on the mat when it comes to finishing fights. Coy may be a capable finisher, but he lacks a specialty on the mat that can stop quality opponents.

In the space of five fights, Woodley has shown the sort of submission savvy no one would expect from a converted wrestler. That ability can be attributed mostly to how well Woodley holds position; that allows him to set up his submissions correctly, including his favored arm-triangle and brabo chokes, both of which maximize his carotid-crunching grip strength. Those are the kind of trump cards absent from Coy’s arsenal, a fact which leaves him no choice but to try and beat Woodley at his own game.

Not even Stephen Colbert can touch Woodley’s truthiness. Coy will not roll over for anyone, but that will not keep him from tapping out when Woodley gets his squeeze on. Woodley figures to get in some sparring on the feet, continuing his metamorphosis from a glorified one-two automaton to buck-nasty power-puncher. Either way, Woodley’s recent comments about being a nightmare matchup for Diaz will gain that much more credence in the public eye.