The physical differences between UFC featherweights Dan Ige and Sean Woodson were very apparent at UFC 314 on Saturday night, but both men still went to war hoping for a victory and a bonus.
Ige (18-9) is a fighter’s fighter with how he stepped in on just hours on fight night against Diego Lopes at UFC 303. He lost that bout which no one blinked an eye at, but then went on to lose against Lerone Murphy last October. ’50K’ Ige needed a victory to avoid the dreaded 3-fight losing skid.
Woodson (13-1-1) is technically on a 6-fight win streak with a draw against Luis Saldaña the only smudge on the record, but not a loss. Wins over Fernando Padilla, Alex Caceres, and Charles Jourdain could push him into contention with a win over Ige.
Round 1 Woodson’s height and reach advantage was insane in this one. Ige was hitting arms with some of his punches early on in the round. Ige worked to get Woodson to the fence and attack, but was landing some good leg kicks early.
Woodson used his length to keep Ige at range. That jab was a good weapon for him and he followed it up with right hands as well. Ige stopped attacking leg kicks for some reason as he tried to get in close to land shots up top.
Round 2 Ige came out on a mission to land the right hand. He would step in, accepting that he’d eat a shot, in order to land his own. Ige had some success early in the round getting in close and landing, but nothing heavy was thrown. He shot in for a single leg, but there was nothing he could do with it so he let it go.
Woodson continued to stay active and move a lot in order to not be a stationary target for the nuclear hands of Ige. Ige was eventually able to get a takedown, but Woodson got back to his feet rather easily.
Round 3 Woodson finally got loose throwing hands at range. Ige finally landed a big shot that put Woodson on skates and Ige went after him to finish the fight. Woodson was defending himself when the ref suddenly came in and stopped the fight.
Questionable stoppage, but Ige walks away with the TKO finish.
Official Result: Dan Ige def. Sean Woodson via R3 TKO, 1:12
