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The former American Top Team stablemates will collide in the UFC Fight Night 178 headliner this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with the winner keeping his head above water in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s cutthroat 170-pound weight class. Covington last appeared at UFC 245, where he succumbed to fifth-round punches from Kamaru Usman and failed in his bid to capture the undisputed welterweight championship on Dec. 14. Woodley, meanwhile, finds himself on a two-fight losing streak after a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Gilbert Burns at UFC on ESPN 9 in May.
As Covington and Woodley make final preparations for their high-stakes showdown, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
32: Years of age for Covington, who was born in Clovis, California, on Feb. 22, 1988.
4: Covington wins by submission, accounting for 27 percent of his career total (15). His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes and two arm-triangle chokes.
1: Submission defeat on the Covington resume. He tapped to a guillotine choke from Warlley Alves at UFC 194 on Dec. 12, 2015, bowing out 1:26 into Round 1.
58: Takedowns completed by Covington as a UFC welterweight—good for third on the promotion’s all-time list at 170 pounds. Only St. Pierre (87) and Johny Hendricks (61) have executed more.
179: Significant strikes landed by Covington in a unanimous decision over Robbie Lawler in the UFC on ESPN 5 main event in August 2019. It established the single-fight record for a UFC welterweight.
38: Years of age for Woodley, who was born in Ferguson, Missouri, on April 7, 1982.
36: Seconds needed by Woodley to waylay former International Fight League champion Jay Hieron with punches at UFC 156 in 2013. Having occurred in his promotional debut, it remains the fastest finish of his 25-fight career.
945: Days spent by Woodley as UFC welterweight champion. He captured the title with his scintillating first-round knockout of Lawler at UFC 201 on July 30, 2016 and retained it on four separate occasions before relinquishing his hold on the 170-pound throne in a unanimous decision loss to Usman at UFC 235 on March 2, 2019. It ranks as the second-longest reign in the history of the UFC welterweight division, behind only St. Pierre (2,064).
5: Post-fight bonuses banked by Woodley in his 14 appearances inside the Octagon. He has been awarded “Knockout of the Night” once, “Fight of the Night” once and “Performance of the Night” three times, resulting in $250,000 of additional income.
12: Woodley fights that have reached the judges. He owns a 7-4-1 record in those bouts.