Woodson continues to be a fascinating prospect due to his frame. As
a 6-foot-2 featherweight, “The Sniper” is absolutely gigantic for
his chosen division, and Woodson backs that up with some sharp
boxing, made all the more effective by his length. However, his
height does come with some obvious disadvantages. Woodson is and
always figures to be rail-thin, leaving him open to getting
overpowered by opponents willing to close in to try and wrestle.
Julian
Erosa memorably survived his offense enough to wear Woodson out
down the stretch and score a third-round finish in 2020, and a June
2021 win over Youssef
Zalal was razor-thin thanks to Zalal’s ability to stifle him in
the clinch. After an impressive knockout of Collin
Anglin in November, Woodson looks for another strong
performance against Saldana, who has won two of his three UFC bouts
to date. Saldana is still a bit hard to peg. Initially a
defensively void brawler, Saldana has shown a willingness to take
his foot off the gas pedal at times in an attempt to manage his
energy, but he seems much more on the improvisational side of
things rather than sticking to any sort of gameplan. Saldana has a
solid frame for the division, so he could cause some damage,
particularly as he seems unlikely to be put away. Still, Woodson
should have a lot of opportunities to dictate the terms of this
fight. The pick is Woodson via decision.
UFC News & Features
