Preview: UFC on ESPN 63 Prelims

Featherweights

Sean Woodson (12-1-1, 6-1-1 UFC) vs. Fernando Padilla (16-5, 2-1 PFL)

ODDS: Woodson (-155), Padilla (+130)

This should be a fascinating fight, but it’s some odd matchmaking in terms of the trajectory of Woodson’s career. His fights are always interesting to an extent. “The Sniper” is a 6-foot-2 featherweight with a rail-thin frame, which brings a dynamic to his fights that few others can reproduce. Adding to the intrigue is that Woodson doesn’t always make the best use of his physical gifts, as he appears to be most comfortable attempting to be a slick boxer, which can sometimes neutralize his natural range advantage and leave him getting caught unawares. Even if Woodson hasn’t been operating at peak efficiency, it’s hard to argue with his results. Since suffering a loss to Julian Erosa midway through 2020, Woodson has gone undefeated in his last six fights. Woodson has kept his most active pace in a while in 2024 and secured the two biggest wins of his career, outlasting tough veterans Charles Jourdain and Alex -Caceres-41586">Alex Caceres. That would seemingly set Woodson up for a shot at the rankings at the very least, but he instead gets a pairing that’s all risk and no reward against Padilla.

Woodson is a much more proven commodity, but Mexico’s Padilla figures to be a tricky opponent, if only because “El Valiente” has a similarly long frame. To his credit, Padilla is much more focused on utilizing those gifts than Woodson, preferring to pick apart his opponents from range. However, that has come with its own set of issues, as Padilla has usually relied on his opponents to create his opportunities for violence. Padilla’s three UFC bouts have been two quick knockouts bookending a flat decision loss to Kyle Nelson. Matchups between tall fighters are always interesting, since they tend to reveal who relies on their height and length as a form of defense; of these two, that appears to be Padilla, though that could be offset by Woodson being the more defensively vulnerable competitor in general. Padilla might have been the pick if Woodson was less historically durable, but with both men looking to have strong chins, the American’s superior comfort in a brawl gets him the benefit of the doubt. The pick is Woodson via decision.

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