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Under The Radar | Sean Woodson
Featherweight Sean Woodson Enters His Fight Against Fernando Padilla On A Six-Fight Unbeaten Streak
Sean Woodson has had a quiet, but steady, rise in the featherweight division. Woodson stepped onto the scene in unforgettable fashion, earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019 after a flying knee knockout over Terrance McKinney.
Despite being on a six-fight unbeaten streak and only suffering one loss in his entire career, Woodson isn’t really one that comes to mind when fans think of featherweight contenders. There’s no secret that 145-pound division is one of the deepest in the promotion, with a ton of up and exciting contenders and prospects, and Woodson should definitely be in that conversation.
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Saturday night inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, Woodson faces a fun dance partner in Fernando Padilla. It’s an opponent that is, surprisingly, similar to Woodson’s tall frame of 6’2”. Woodson’s size and lengthy build is one of the major reasons why so many athletes have trouble figuring him out. Prior to joining the UFC, “The Sniper” spent time competing not only at featherweight, but also lightweight and middleweight.
Woodson suffered the first defeat of his career in 2020, when he faced Julian Erosa at a catchweight of 150 pounds. Woodson got submitted by Erosa in the third round. Following that fight, Woodson was away from the action for a year before returning to the Octagon in 2021, when he got back in the win column, earning back-to-back wins against Youssef Zalal and Collin Anglin.
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The St. Louis native went on to face Luis Saldaña in Salt Lake City, where the bout was called a split draw. During the fight, Saldaña was deducted one point in the first round due to an illegal knee.
Highlight: Sean Woodson Notches First UFC Finish | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Rodriguez
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Highlight: Sean Woodson Notches First UFC Finish | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Rodriguez
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Even though that fight went on Woodson’s record as a draw, the momentum Woodson had prior to that fight carried on, and one year later as he faced Dennis Buzukja in Nashville. He picked up a unanimous decision victory over Buzukja in his only fight of 2023.
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However, 2024 has been a busy and successful year for Woodson, who started off with a split decision win over Charles Jourdain in Toronto, followed up by a big win over Alex Caceres in his hometown of St. Louis in May.
Saturday night, Woodson looks to add another win to record as he faces Mexico’s Padilla, who has won six of his last eight, most recently submitting Luis Pajuelo in March. “El Valiente” has scored all but two of his wins by finish and has 11 of those wins in the first round.
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The featherweight division is as exciting as ever, as Ilia Topuria holds the crown as champion with contenders like Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev waiting in the wings. There are a ton of intriguing fights to be made at 145 pounds and a big win on Saturday night could put Woodson right on the cusp of entering the rankings, and making his name known.
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley took place live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on December 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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