has won five straight fights<\/a> to put himself into the championship hunt. A win would mean just as much for Burns, who knows he is in for the toughest test of his career so far.<\/p>\n\u201cI knew the next one would be a tough guy. It couldn\u2019t be tougher,\u201d Burns told MMA Junkie. \u201cHe\u2019s the No. 1 contender and a former champion. I\u2019m ready for whatever I have to go through. If I have to go five rounds, I\u2019m ready to. I\u2019m confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burns says he\u2019s looking to make a statement by finishing Woodley, a tough task considering the former champion\u2019s defensive prowess. But if he can do it, the Brazilian thinks a big performance might just get him a title shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I go out there and kill Tyron Woodley in a couple rounds, for sure I\u2019m next in line,\u201d Burns said. \u201cIf it goes to a tough fight or a split decision, maybe I\u2019ll have to do another one.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Heavyweights Augusto Sakai (-115) and Blagoy Ivanov (-110) enter the UFC on ESPN 9 co-main event without a clear favorite. Ivanov has shown he is one of the toughest men in mixed martial arts, while Sakai is surprisingly quick for a heavyweight. While there\u2019s not much to separate the two on paper, Ivanov says he\u2019s confident he can get a finish.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cI have more experience and that will be the key in this fight,\u201d Ivanov told BJPenn.com. \u201cI\u2019m taking him into deep waters and he better be ready. His first loss in the UFC is coming on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UFC returns to its Apex facility in Las Vegas on Saturday, as former welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley takes on Gilbert Burns in the main event of UFC on ESPN 9. The former champion enters the bout as a solid favorite, with PointsBet Sportsbook posting Woodley as a -190 pick to beat Burns (+150). Woodley […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":137142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
UFC on ESPN 9 Odds: Woodley Favored Over Burns<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n