UFC 205: Tyron Woodley Gives In, Accepts Thompson Fight
UFC 205 has landed its first title fight, as Tyron Woodley confirmed that he will be fighting Stephen Thompson in November.
Tyron Woodley broke the news himself on the UFC Hidalgo weigh-in show.
Tyron Woodley was aiming for a “money fight” with Nick Diaz or Georges St. Pierre, but he has settled on a fight with the true welterweight top contender, Stephen Thompson. Of course, Woodley famously denied Thompson the next title shot the night he won the welterweight title.
Woodley won the title with a stunning first-round knockout of champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 201. It was later revealed that the pay-per-view numbers for the show were fairly low, which took Woodley’s money fight leverage right out from under him.
Stephen Thompson has some ties to New York despite being raised in South Carolina, as he has trained with Long Island native Chris Weidman and is related to him through marriage. Thompson has also had experience training with Georges St. Pierre and crew at Tristar MMA in Canada.
Thompson has done more than enough to earn a title shot, defeating seven straight foes including former champion Johny Hendricks and title challenger Rory MacDonald along the way. His expert-level karate-based striking game has been a riddle to solve for opponents in the Octagon.
There have been two other fights reported for the New York event as well. New Jersey’s own Frankie Edgar will fight Jeremy Stephens in an excellent featherweight battle. Mark Henry’s team in Toms River, New Jersey, will also be bringing over Kaitlyn Chookagian to fight Liz Carmouche.
UFC 205 has yet to officially add any fights, but reported battles between Chris Weidman and Yoel Romero, and Donald Cerrone and Kelvin Gastelum are set to take place. The famous Madison Square Garden will host the event on November 12.
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