Tyron Woodley ekes out majority decision win over 'Wonderboy' in UFC 209 main event
LAS VEGAS — Tyron Woodley can finally put Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson behind him — at least for now — after earning a majority decision win to close out UFC 209 on Saturday night.
Woodley and Thompson put on a "Fight of the Night" in their last meeting but unfortunately, the rematch didn't exactly live up to the expectations of the first battle at UFC 205 this past November.
It was a very tentative opening round from both fighters, with Thompson measuring his strikes while walking Woodley around the outside of the cage and neither of them really unleashing with any combinations but rather single strikes while playing cautious defense.
Clearly, Woodley and Thompson gained a lot of respect for each other after a five-round battle the first time around because they both seemed cautious to pull the trigger in those first few exchanges.
The second round saw more of the same as "Wonderboy" consistently moved forward while Woodley seemed content to back up against the cage while circling the Octagon over and over again.
The crowd was turning restless as Thompson would throw an occasional side kick while Woodley barely returned fire at all.
Woodley came alive in the third round with a big takedown as he planted Thompson on the mat and started to open up with his ground attack. Woodley tried to trap one of Thompson's arms while he unloaded with punches and elbows, but the No. 1 welterweight contender did a good job scrambling to get free and eventually back to his feet.
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From there the fight reverted back to more of the same, with Thompson staying the aggressor although this time around he did manage to land a couple of stinging punches before the round came to an end.
Thompson had Octagon control in his back pocket through the first four rounds but hadn't done much to mount any real damage on the champion. Still, Thompson did open up with a spinning heel kick that glanced off Woodley's arm and head as he defended the strike.
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As the fourth round came to an end, the Las Vegas faithful were relentless with jeers aimed at the two welterweight competitors as they headed into the final five minutes of the fight.
Woodley was a little more aggressive as he charged toward Thompson several times but just couldn't find a home for many of his punches.
With less than a minute remaining, Woodley landed his best punch of the entire fight and it put Thompson on the ground and the champion went on the attack. Woodley furiously looked for the finish as he unleashed a huge barrage of punches -- eventually landing another big blow that staggered Thompson again.
Woodley saw his opening and went for the kill, but just couldn't find a home for his punches as "Wonderboy" finally escaped the onslaught to survive until the final horn.
It was a largely bizarre performance from both Woodley and Thompson, with arguably the only real damage done in the fifth round when the champion nearly earned a finish with time running out on the clock.
When the fight was over it appeared that Woodley and Thompson could be headed towards another draw, but this time around the judges rendered a winner and a loser.
The scores came back 48-47, 48-47 and 47-47 with Woodley earning the majority decision victory in a largely lackluster fight.
“When you fight someone for the second time it’s like a chess match, you don’t want to give up anything. I knew that his game plan was going to be to keep it on the outside and not let me get in close because that’s where I do the most damage and he did a great job. He made it very hard to get it in close. He was countering well, he’s really light on his feet – it wasn’t the most exciting fight like you guys were used to the last time. Sometimes chess is move by move," Woodley said after getting the win.
“He was covering very well at the end of the fifth and I hit him. It reminded me of the last time, it was almost verbatim the same sequence. I was just trying to find an opening to get to his chin. He’s a tough kid, I rocked him and that’s the round that probably got me the win.”
While it wasn't the most exciting affair, FightMetric statistic showed Woodley out striking Thompson 54-53 in significant strikes and 70-60 in overall strikes while also landing one takedown during the five-round main event.
Woodley celebrated the win as he earns his first title defense as welterweight champion while "Wonderboy" walks away from the fight with a loss that will likely put him back in line after coming up short in two consecutive title fights.
