Report | Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman signed for UFC 235 co-main event

After weeks of speculation, a welterweight title fight between champ Tyron Woodley and challenger Kamaru Usman is reportedly a done deal for UFC 235 on March 2, per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

The fight is slated to serve as the card’s co-main event, co-headlining under a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Anthony Smith, provided Jones is able to achieve licensure in Nevada.

While Helwani has reported the bout as a done deal, the UFC has not made it official as of yet.

Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman is a done deal for UFC 235 on 3/2, sources say. If all goes according to plan the fight will serve as co-main for Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith. However, unlike Woodley-Usman, Jones-Smith isn’t signed yet. Jones has to get his license on 1/29 first.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 6, 2019

“Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman is a done deal for UFC 235 on 3/2, sources say,” Helwani reported. “If all goes according to plan the fight will serve as co-main for Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith. However, unlike Woodley-Usman, Jones-Smith isn’t signed yet. Jones has to get his license on 1/29 first.”

Helwani went on to give his take on why the next crack at Tyron Woodley will go to Kamaru Usman and not the former interim champion Colby Covington — who Woodley expressly wanted to fight first. He claims the UFC was swayed by Usman’s recent domination of Rafael dos Anjos, and his willingness to fight in January.

In the end, while Colby Covington was ready to go for 235, UFC chose to go with Usman because his stock rose mightily in their eyes after the RDA win + his subsequent willingness to fight anyone on short notice in January despite being injured. Covington held out and it cost him.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 6, 2019

“In the end, while Colby Covington was ready to go for 235, UFC chose to go with Usman because his stock rose mightily in their eyes after the RDA win + his subsequent willingness to fight anyone on short notice in January despite being injured. Covington held out and it cost him,” Helwani said.

Tyron Woodley last fought in September, when he submitted Darren Till in the fourth successful defense of his impressive title reign. He’s 19-3-1 in sum.

Kamaru Usman, on the other hand, is an impressive 14-1 overall. Prior to his win over Rafael dos Anjos, he burst into title contention with a lopsided defeat of Demian Maia.

Do you think the UFC made the right move booking a Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman title fight next?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/6/2019.