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5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN+ 36

You never know what you’re going to get when you tune in to a UFC card during the COVID-19 era. Whether pay-per-view events, UFC on ESPN liner cable, or ESPN+ streaming cards, the quality varies from week to week and show to show without any particular rhyme or reason, with filling the UFC’s quota of cards it is contractually obligated to deliver seeming to take precedence over the traditional layers to each level event. 

This time? Fans got a good bounce on the weekly spin of the roulette wheel. Saturday’s event is UFC on ESPN+ 36, and by going on ESPN’s streaming service, it in theory is the third tier in the scheme of things. And yet the top end of the card is better than some recent pay-per-view offerings.

That starts at the top, where former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley takes on former interim titleholder Colby Covington, and filters downward, with veterans like Donald Cerrone attempting to protect their turf and up-and-comers like Khamzat Chimaev continuing to build their names. 

UFC on ESPN+ 36 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Without further ado, then, here are five burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN+ 36

How much does Tyron Woodley have left in the tank?

Some fights mark clear before-and-after turning points in a fighter’s career, and right now, Tyron Woodley’s welterweight title loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 looks like one of those watershed events.

Woodley (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) didn’t just lose the belt to Usman. He took a 25-minute pounding that led to a pair of 50-44 scores that could have been even more lopsided had there been different judges. 

Fourteen months later, Woodley returned and looked equally listless in a loss to Gilbert Burns. He didn’t take as ferocious a beating, but once again walked away on the wrong end of two 50-44s.

Maybe this was simply a funk, out of which Woodley will soon snap. But he’s 38, and time is not on his side. Woodley quite simply needs to make a statement against Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), or he risks being written off.

Will Colby Covington rebound from his loss to Kamaru Usman?

The common thread in this main event, of course, is that current champion Usman made both fighters look real bad in recent outings. In this case, the MAGA crowd’s favorite fighter ran to the back after getting his jaw broken by a Nigerian immigrant.

To be fair, Covington showed tremendous resilience battling through adversity before finally falling in the fifth round of their UFC 245 title fight, something for which he’d get far more credit if he wasn’t so mouthy.

But even Covington’s most recalcitrant haters have to give him his due as a fighter. Covington’s schtick would have worn thin long ago had he not only won fights, but won them convincingly, and done so over a wealth of top-quality opposition.

Out of the two main eventers, on paper, Covington is better positioned to get back on track. If the Covington who wore his opposition out on his run to a title shot returns Saturday night, then we can expect him to be right back in the title hunt.

How many rides does an aging 'Cowboy' have left?

May 9, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Anthony Pettis (red gloves) fights Donald Cerrone (blue gloves) during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

If it was simply whispered before. Now it’s out in the open: Cerrone (36-15 MMA, 23-12 UFC) is reaching the point his days on a major league level are beginning to wind down. 

No one’s wanted to come out and say it,because “Cowboy” is a gamer, an enduring star, a fighter willing to take on any and all comers. And he’s also fought his way through slumps before and gotten back on top, a trait that has made him all the relatable to his fans. 

But he’s 37 now. He’s lost four fights in a row. He had nearly 30 kickboxing fights before he switched to MMA full-time, and he’s got 52 fights there. 

It’s true he’s fought a murderer’s row over the course of his current four-fight losing skid, guys who have held a combined seven championships or interim belts. But he got finished in three of them. That’s the sign of a regressing fighter.

Now he gets a chance to fight Niko Price, who has sounded happy to simply be there in the run-up to the bout. Cerrone has said he’s sparred more for this fight that he has in other recent bouts. Maybe that puts him back in his comfort zone and he rolls over Price (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC). If not, this fight could be his ride into the UFC sunset.

Will Khamzat Chimaev ace his next test?

Khamzat Chimaev

Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)  is off to one of of the most impressive starts in recent UFC history. Chimaev went up to middleweight and slaughtered John Phillips on July 15. Just 10 days later, he went back to welterweight and made Rhys McKee regret making a short-notice UFC debut and punished him, too. That set the mark for shortest time between consecutive wins in the UFC’s modern era.

Now he has the opportunity for the fastest three-win span at 66 days, which would put him up over Bobby Green’s three victories in 84 days in his past three fights.

Chimaev wanted a third fight sooner, but visa issues kept the Dagestani fighter from getting back into the country. Now he’s got a bout lined up with Gerald Meerschaert, and another one expected against Demian Maia.

Part of the fun of watching a potential superstar work his way up is in seeing him take a jump in competition each step along the way. Meerschaert (31-13 MMA, 6-5 UFC) is a considerable leap in competition over Chimaev’s previous UFC foes. If he can dispatch of Meerschaert in a similar manner, then yeah, we might really be on to something here. 

Is Mackenzie Dern back on the star track?

Oct 12, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; Mackenzie Dern (red gloves) fights Amanda Ribas (blue glove) during UFC Fight Night at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

For a minute there, it seemed the Mackenzie Dern hype train had stalled. The World Jiu-Jitsu Championships and ADCC gold medalist took more a year off for maternity leave, then looked a step slow when she returned in dropping a decision to Amanda Ribas for her first career loss.

Dern (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) looked like her old self again May 30, though. Dern did what she does best when she submitted Hannah Cifers in the opening round of their fight and earned “Performance of the Night” honors in the process. 

Now she’s back to face Randa Markos in a strawweight main card bout. And make no mistake: While Markos (10-8-1 MMA, 6-7 UFC) doesn’t have the strongest win/loss record, she’s a tough fighter to look good against. Just one of Markos’ eight career losses have come inside the distance. She likes to draw her foes into down-and-dirty battles.

If Dern can do her thing against Markos, then it’s a sign for sure she’s back on track. 

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